Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 4 Nov: Four persons, including a woman, were reported to be killed in a devastating road accident on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway near Mohabbewala this evening when a container truck lost control and overturned onto a Hyundai i20 car. The car was crushed completely under the heavy vehicle, trapping its occupants inside.
According to initial information, five persons were travelling in the car when the accident occurred. The deceased have been identified as Mishresh Kapoor, 38, Nisha Anand Kapoor, 38, Kiran Kapoor, 63, and the family’s driver Neeraj. A six-year-old child, Maher Kapoor, sustained injuries but was rescued alive.
The victims were stated to be members of a family originally from Saharanpur, who also have a residence in Dehradun. They were travelling from Saharanpur to Dehradun when the accident took place.
The impact of the collision was so severe that the car was flattened beneath the container, leaving the occupants trapped inside. Following the accident, police, SDRF personnel and other emergency response teams rushed to the spot and launched an extensive rescue operation. As the vehicle had been mangled beyond recognition, rescuers had to cut through the wreckage using specialised cutters to retrieve the bodies.
The container was reportedly loaded with urea sacks, which had to be removed before recovery operations could proceed. Officials said even cranes faced considerable difficulty in moving the overturned vehicle due to its weight and the extent of the damage caused by the accident.
The mishap triggered massive traffic congestion on the expressway. Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the road, stretching for several kilometres. One of the traffic queues on the expressway reportedly extended up to the Dat Kali temple area. The movement of vehicles was further affected by the large number of people who gathered at the accident site.
Police personnel remained engaged in regulating traffic and facilitating the rescue and recovery operations. After prolonged efforts, the damaged vehicles were removed and traffic movement on the highway was gradually restored.
The accident in the Mohabbewala area is being described as one of the most severe road mishaps witnessed in the region in recent times. Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the container overturning onto the car.
It may also be reminded here that this particular stretch of road near Mohabbewala is proving to be a hotspot for serious road accidents and in the recent past, there have been several incidents of trucks and other large vehicles overturning here. Several senior officials including the District Magistrate and the SSP Dehradun have inspected the site a few times and have held discussions with the NHAI officials regarding adopting safety measures on this stretch but the accidents have continued to occur even after some speed breakers were installed and the speed limit was reduced on this stretch. Independent observers claim that lack of adequate traffic monitoring by the Police is also a major reason behind the continuing accidents. They also say that overloading and speeding of trucks despite lower speed limits is a major factor behind the trucks overturning here.
