Five Dead in Mokama as Sumo Crashes into a Crowd
Patna: June 26, 2008
Five people were crushed to death and one person seriously injured when the driver of a Tata Sumo vehicle in Mokama on late Thursday night lost control and slammed into a crowd of people returning from a temple killing four on the spot while a fifth victim died later at a local hospital.
The tragedy occurred near the Kanhaipur Chowk just as a number of people were coming out of a nearby temple.
As reported, the vehicle was coming from Patna when suddenly its driver lost its control and mowed over the crowd killing Ramjatan Mahto (38), Ramashray Yadav (32), Paras Rai (30), and Bajrang Rai and Hariram Rai (both in their '20s).
A sixth person was listed in critical condition at a hospital in Mokama, the police said adding the driver and the occupants of Sumo managed to mingle in the crowd and escape before the police could arrive.
Officials have seized the vehicle and are trying to identify its owner, the police said.
The incident caused uproar in the area as hundreds of protestors blocked the National Highway 31 demanding arrest of the hit and run driver and compensation for the victims' families.
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