Bemetara:

Five women and three children were killed and 23 persons injured when a goods vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck in Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district, police said on Monday.

The accident took place late Sunday night near Kathia village when the victims were returning after attending a family function, a senior police official said.

The victims, natives of Patharra village, were returning after attending a family function in Tiraiyya village, the official said.

The goods vehicle collided with the mini truck that was parked by the roadside, the official said.

Those killed were identified as Bhuri Nishad (50), Neera Sahu (55), Geeta Sahu (60), Agniya Sahu (60), Khushbu Sahu (39), Madhu Sahu (5), Rikesh Nishad (6) and Twinkle Nishad (6), he said.

The injured persons were admitted to two hospitals. Later, four critically injured persons were shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences Raipur, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bastar, Chhattisgarh:

Doctors at a government hospital in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district on Saturday had to treat injured patients under phone’s flashlights as there has been no power at the building for five days now following a fire caused by a short-circuit.

Two people were killed and 18 injured in a collision between a truck and a bus in Kilepal on Friday evening. The injured were rushed to the hospital, and discovered on reaching there that it was without power. Some of the injured were in critical condition and had to be sent to Dimarapal Medical College for better treatment.

The hospital ambulance had also not reached the site of the accident despite being called, and the injured were taken to the hospital in the vehicles of Chitrakoot MLA Rajman Benjamin, who lives near the hospital, and the Tehsildar of Bastanar village.

There was a lot of anger among the families of the passengers injured in the accident. They have demanded strict action against the responsible officials for this negligence. The local villagers also supported the families, and said that this is the only big hospital in the entire Bastanar block, which all the nearby villagers depend on.

MLA Rajman Benjamin said that he has directed the electricity department to arrange alternative arrangements and fix all issues at the hospital immediately. 

PWD’s Electrical Engineering Department official Ajay Kumar Temburne, when asked about the issue, claimed that initial repairs were done in the building immediately after the short circuit incident.

Block Medical Officer of the area, Dr Arijit Chaudhary, has said that a letter was sent to the electricity department a month ago for repairs. He claimed the letter also pointed out that there is dampness on the walls due to rains, which could cause a short circuit. Dr Chaudhary has now written a letter to the higher officials of the department demanding a generator for the hospital.