14 killed as 'drunk' driver ploughsdumper into vehicles near Harmada

Jaipur: A rashly driven, out-of-control dumper truck ploughed into at least 17 vehicles on New Loha Mandi Road near Harmada area in Jaipur on Monday afternoon, leaving 14 people dead, including two girls aged five and seven years, and 13 injured in its wake. Three injured are critical. The dumper driver, who is also among the injured and is undergoing treatment, has been detained by the police.

The accident occurred around 1.45pm, turning one of the city's busiest industrial areas into a scene of chaos and devastation.

This was the third major road accident in the state in under 24 hours. On Sunday evening, 15 pilgrims returning from Bikaner to Jodhpur were killed when their vehicle collided with a stationary trailer in Phalodi. In a separate accident in Phalodi the same night, two people were killed and two critically injured when a Bolero collided with a trailer.

In Jaipur, CCTV footage obtained by police showed the dumper truck speeding dangerously, ramming into vehicles and crushing motorcyclists and pedestrians in its path. According to police, the dumper, travelling at a speed of over 100km/h, went out of control and rammed into a series of cars, motorbikes and passers by, dragging some over nearly 300 metres before crashing into a trailer truck.