Patna, June 25 (IANS) A serious road accident occurred on National Highway-31 near Jurabganj under the Kodha police station area of Bihar’s Katihar district on Thursday, when a speeding Scorpio SUV collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw.

The impact left the auto-rickshaw severely damaged and injured all ten occupants travelling in it.

According to eyewitnesses, the collision was extremely severe, triggering panic in the area. Local residents rushed to the site immediately after hearing the crash and helped rescue the injured passengers trapped inside the mangled vehicle.

All the injured were taken to the Kodha Community Health Centre (CHC) for immediate treatment. After initial medical care, doctors referred all ten victims to hospitals in Purnea for specialised treatment.

The injured have been identified as Chhoti Kumari (22), Aarti Kumari (30), Ashutosh Sinha (55), Richa Priya (7), Parvati Devi (32), Kajal Kumari (21), and Md. Chand (38), Ajay Kumar, Sintu Kumar Mahto (16), and Pintu Kumar Mahto (17).

According to Girish Chandra, Medical Officer at Kodha CHC, all 10 injured persons received first aid at the hospital, while 5 remain in critical condition.

Following the accident, police teams from Kodha police station reached the scene and initiated rescue and traffic management operations. A crane was deployed to remove the damaged vehicles from the highway, allowing traffic movement to resume.

Police have seized both the Scorpio SUV and the auto-rickshaw. Preliminary investigations suggest that excessive speed and negligent driving may have contributed to the accident.

As news of the accident reached the victims’ families, scenes of distress were reported in several villages. Relatives have gathered at hospitals in Purnea, where teams of doctors are currently treating the injured.

Authorities continue to monitor the condition of the critically injured patients while the police investigation into the exact cause of the accident remains underway.

The accident has triggered anger among local residents, who describe the Jurabganj stretch of NH-31 as an accident-prone zone. Villagers claim that several serious accidents have occurred in the area in recent years.

Residents have demanded strict enforcement of speed limits, regular traffic checks, installation of warning signs at accident-prone locations, identification and treatment of road black spots, and additional road safety measures along NH-31.

–IANS

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