Two people died, and at least 12 others were injured in two separate road accidents in Purba Bardhaman District on Sunday, police said.
One of the incidents occurred in the Raina area when a tractor carrying farm labourers overturned after losing control. In another accident, a cyclist died after being hit by a vehicle in Ausgram.
Police said the injured from the tractor accident were taken to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Tractor overturns, labourer dies
The tractor accident took place in the morning near the crematorium crossing in Jakta Village under the Hijalna panchayat area of Raina.
According to police and local sources, a group of 22 agricultural labourers from Hasnabad and nearby areas of the Sundarbans in North 24 Parganas District had come to the region for potato harvesting work.
On Sunday morning, 13 of them were travelling by tractor from Hijalna to Jakta to harvest potatoes. The vehicle allegedly lost control near the crematorium crossing and overturned into a roadside ditch, trapping several labourers underneath.
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Residents rushed to the spot after hearing the noise and began rescue efforts. Police from Raina police station later arrived and sent the injured to the hospital.
One labourer, Manoranjan Mandal (60), died shortly after being admitted. Police said five injured persons were in critical condition while the others were stable.
An injured labourer, Sukhendru Saha, said the tractor driver had been driving at high speed and did not slow down even after passengers asked him to. He said the vehicle overturned while turning a corner and several workers became trapped underneath.
Police have seized the tractor. The driver is currently absconding.
Cyclist killed in separate accident
In another incident early Sunday morning, a cyclist died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle near Karunji More in Ausgram.
The deceased was identified as Nurul Islam Khan (65), a resident of Shikharpur village under Bhatar police station.
Police said Khan used to sell dishwashing soap by travelling from village to village. On Sunday morning, he had left home on his bicycle to collect soap from a factory.
While travelling along National Highway 114 connecting Bardhaman and Bolpur, a vehicle allegedly hit him near Karunji More and fled.
Police from the Guskara outpost later recovered the body from the spot. A search operation has been launched to trace the vehicle involved in the accident.
