At least three people, including two women, were killed and three others seriously injured when a car rammed into a sand-laden truck parked on the roadside in Bihar's Katihar district on Friday morning, news agency IANS reported.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

The accident occurred near Narayanpur Kutubpur, under the Manihari police station area, when the occupants were travelling to the Ganga ghat in Manihari for a ritual bath ahead of the Chhath festival. According to police, all six occupants of the Scorpio were residents of the Baigna locality under the Katihar Town police station area.

The vehicle, bearing registration number BR11BB5581, was approaching Manihari from Katihar when its driver reportedly lost control and crashed into the rear of the stationary truck. The truck had been parked on the roadside after developing a mechanical fault, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Shambhu Singh (68), his wife Usha Singh, and their neighbour Manju Rani Shah, wife of Indu Shah. The injured were initially taken to Manihari Sub-Divisional Hospital for treatment, and the bodies were sent to Katihar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Manihari Station House Officer Santosh Kumar Jha confirmed the deaths and said the injured had been shifted to hospital. Police reached the spot on receiving information and began rescue and relief work, and have initiated an investigation to establish the exact circumstances of the accident. The district police have asked the truck driver and owner to join the probe.

Source: Daily Kiran

The crash came a day after three members of a family were killed in a separate head-on collision between a truck and an SUV on NH-19 in Bihar's Aurangabad district on Thursday, according to IANS.