Five people, including two children, were killed while four others were injured after an MCD truck hit their car on National Highway 24 early on Wednesday morning. The truck driver fled after the accident.
The accident happened around 3.30 a.m. when the victims were on their way to Meerut from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here after receiving two relatives. The deceased include Qamar Abbas Zaidi (55), his wife Anjum Fatima Zaidi (50), their children Azhar Abbas Zaidi (18), Juhi Abbas Zaidi (14), and their friend Mahrazuddin Siddiqui (36), who was driving.
Among the injured are the wife and child of Qamar Abbas’s elder brother — Anjum Fatima Zaidi (35) and Ali Mohd. Zaidi (13), who had come from Iran. Two others who were injured include Qamar Abbas’s son Abbas Mehndi Zaidi (16) and seven-year-old Sakeena Fatima Zaidi alias Lamha.
One critical
While Anjum is still critical, the three children are said to be out of danger.
The police said they received a PCR call at 4:22 a.m. The victims were pulled out of the car after a police team reached the spot. “All of them were rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. One of the injured, Anjum, was referred to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital given the severity of her condition,” said DCP (East) Omvir Singh Bishnoi.
Truck bore MCD sticker
A senior police officer privy to the case said that the speeding truck, which was carrying a MCD sticker, was coming from Ghazipur. It rammed the car after crossing over to the wrong side.
“The truck was at a high speed when the driver swerved to the right and hit the iron rods on the divider. The impact led it to jump and land on the bonnet of the car that was heading towards Meerut on the other side. The truck came to a halt after hitting a wall a few meters ahead. The car turned turtle due to the impact,” he said.
The officer said the vehicle was damaged to such an extent that gas cutters had to be used to extract the bodies. All the deceased had suffered head injuries, he added.
Eyewitness account
Though the driver is absconding at the moment, the police say they hope to nab him soon. “The reason behind the truck crossing to the wrong side will become clear after the driver is arrested,” said the officer.
Narrating the incident as described to him by the injured, Syed Abbas, a cousin of victim Qamar, said the family had left Meerut around 11 p.m. to receive their relatives at the airport. “We received a call around 5 a.m. and rushed to the hospital,” he said.
Eyewitness Nemwati, who lives in the jhuggis near the spot, woke up when she heard a loud crash. She rushed to the spot with her relatives. “We saw bodies stuck in the car. The police came after half an hour and took the bodies out. There was a lot of blood,” she said.
Her son, meanwhile, said that his phone was stolen when he went to check on the victims.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
