Overview

• The crash occurred at about 6:30 am on June 20 near Namshol village under the Balarampur police station limits on National Highway 18.
• Nine occupants of a Mahindra Bolero SUV died when the vehicle collided head-on with a trailer-truck while returning from a wedding in Purulia.
• Preliminary investigations point to overspeeding and wet, slippery roads caused by persistent rainfall as contributing factors.
• West Bengal Police have seized the trailer-truck and launched a manhunt for the driver who abandoned the vehicle at the scene.
• Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari blamed lax traffic enforcement and inadequate infrastructure for a rise in fatal road accidents across the state.