Three killed as speeding truck rams into pickup vehicle in MP's Mandla district

Mandla (MP), Dec 7 (PTI) Three people were killed and another sustained injuries after a speeding truck laden with steel rods rammed into a stationary pickup vehicle parked on the roadside in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district in the wee hours of Sunday, police said.

The rashly driven truck was on its way to Jabalpur from Raipur when the accident occurred around 1 am near Ahmedpur crossing on the Mandla-Raipur National Highway, Anjajniya police outpost in-charge Praveen Sharma told PTI.

He said the truck hit the pickup vehicle parked on the roadside, around 40 km from the Mandla district headquarters.

Sharma said three people, including Shital Gupta (50), the owner of an eatery, who was standing near the pickup, were killed on the spot, and one person was critically injured and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Arshad Khan (14), who was travelling in the truck, and Dhirendra Lal (40), a labourer with the pickup vehicle, were among the deceased, he said.

The truck was from Rajgarh and a search has been launched for the absconding driver, the official said, adding that a case has been registered. PTI COR LAL ARU