24 Migrants Killed as Truck Collides With Another in UP’s Auraiya, Over 30 Injured; CM Yogi Orders Probe

Amid lockdown, mishaps involving labourers who are walking home have been reported from across the country. In Maharashtra's Aurangabad, 16 migrant workers were killed last week, after a cargo train ran over them while they were sleeping on the tracks. 

New Delhi: At least 24 labourers were killed and more than 30 were injured after the truck they were travelling in collided with another in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh earlier this morning. The workers were coming from Rajasthan. The incident took place at around 3:30 AM on the national highway at Mihauli under Kotwali police circle.

“The incident took place at around 3:30 AM. 23 people have died and around 15-20 have suffered injuries. Most of them are Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal”, said Abhishek Singh, DM Auraiya.

24 people were brought dead, 22 have been admitted & 15 who were critically injured have been referred to Saifai PGI. They were going to Bihar & Jharkhand from Rajasthan: Archana Srivastava, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Auraiya https://t.co/YKsoS6Jit6 pic.twitter.com/W9FZKYvjHl

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 16, 2020

UP CM Yogi Adityanath has taken note of the unfortunate incident and has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the labourers who lost their lives. “Chief Minister has also directed that all the injured be provided medical care immediately and the Commissioner and IG Kanpur to visit the site and give the report on the cause of the accident immediately”, said UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi.

जनपद औरैया में सड़क दुर्घटना में प्रवासी कामगारों/श्रमिकों की मृत्यु दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण एवं दुःखद है, मेरी संवेदनाएं मृतकों के शोक संतप्त परिजनों के साथ हैं।

पीड़ितों को हर संभव राहत प्रदान करने,घायलों का समुचित उपचार कराने व दुर्घटना की त्वरित जांच करवाने के निर्देश भी दिए गए हैं।

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) May 16, 2020

Reacting over the mishap, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the death of 24 migrant labourersas “indescribable”. He stated that such accidents are “not deaths, but murders”.

“Indescribable sadness on the death of over 24 poor migrant labourers in UP’s Auraiya. Prayers for the injured persons. Let’s see till when the silence maintained by heartless people and their supporters justify this negligence… despite knowing everything, and seeing everything. Such accidents are not deaths, but murder,” Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.

BSP chief Mayawati asked CM Yogi to take action against the officers who didn’t fulfill their responsibilities.

“Families of those who were killed or injured in this accident should be provided financial assistance. I express my condolences to the bereaved families”, the BSP supremo said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders also expressed grief over the incident.

Amid lockdown, mishaps involving labourers who are walking home have been reported from across the country.

Yesterday, two persons, including a woman, were killed and 14 others injured when a mini-truck in which they were travelling, was hit by another vehicle in the Girthan village in UP. There were 46 migrant workers in the mini-truck and were returning from Mumbai.

In Maharashtra’s Aurangabad, 16 migrant workers were killed last week, after a cargo train ran over them while they were sleeping on the tracks.

On May 14, eight labourers were killed and over 54 suffered injuries after the truck they were travelling in was hit by a speeding bus in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna.

Prior to that incident, six migrant workers were run over by a bus on a highway in Uttar Pradesh.