MARGAO: Two persons lost their lives and five children sustained serious injuries after a mini-truck, packed with around 15 passengers, veered off the road and plunged into a ditch near a culvert at Balli on NH-66 late Saturday night.
According to the Cuncolim police, the injured children were rushed to South Goa District Hospital and later referred to Goa Medical College Hospital at Bambolim for treatment.
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The driver of the ill-fated mini-truck, identified as Rakesh Gore, has been booked for drunken driving under Sections 279, 336, 337, 338, 304 of the IPC and under Section 21(10) read with 184 and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Police said the driver, Gore, had illegally boarded passengers onto his good carrier vehicle, which was proceeding from Mangalore to Kolhapur via Goa. On entering the State, he stopped and consumed alcohol, and proceeded to drive in a rash and negligent manner, they added.
Eyewitnesses recounted the horrifying scene as the vehicle collided with a retaining wall near Paik Temple, causing it to plummet from a height of approximately 10 metres near the culvert. As the vehicle was stuck in a precarious position, the Fire Department was called to extricate the passengers.
Among the casualties, Devraj Sathliya and Hakku Sathliya lost their lives, while 11 others, including the cleaner Sai Ashok Chauhan and five children, sustained injuries of varying severity and are currently undergoing treatment in hospital.
Cuncolim PI Diogo Gracias said the injured persons are Arvind, Santosh, Rahul, Mukta and Kiran Sathaliya.
The children admitted to GMC were identified as Vikram, Yuvraj, Virav, Varnav and Rani, the only girl.
Several locals helped the police in rescuing the passengers and rushing them to the hospital.
Police have removed the mini truck from the road side towed it to Cuncolim police station for inspection by RTO Margao.
The community rallied together in a display of solidarity, with several locals assisting the authorities in the rescue efforts and transporting the victims to medical facilities.
