Five people, including two women and a child, were crushed to death by a speeding truck in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on Wednesday, while two others suffered serious injuries, a police officer said.
All seven of them were waiting to hire a vehicle on the Ramgarh-Patratu state highway near Hehal village, some 10 km from Ramgarh town, when the truck mowed them down around 4 pm, the officer said.
Two women and a child were among the five people who were killed on the spot, said Birendra Kumar Chaudhary, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Patratu. The truck driver fled the spot leaving behind his vehicle.
The injured are undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Ramgarh, the SDPO said, adding that the truck has been seized.
Irked over the incident, hundreds of local people blocked the busy four-lane highway, seeking action against the truck driver.
Md Javed Hussain (IAS), the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Ramgarh, said a team of police officers has been deployed at the site to maintain law and order.
