Nadia : Eight persons were killed and seven injured today when a pick-up van they were travelling in collided with a truck on National Highway-34 near Jugpur under Nakashipara police station here, police said.
The victims were returning to Dignapur after a picnic at Bethuadahari Forest in the district. The accident happened barely a kilometre from the picnic spot, they said.
The driver of the van tried to overtake a truck at high speed and in the process collided with another truck coming from the opposite direction, police said.
The van, in which there were 17 passengers, overturned after the collision.
Local residents rushed to the spot after the accident and took the injured to Bethuadahari Primary Hospital, where eight persons were declared dead. Five of the seven injured were later shifted to Shaktinagar hospital in Krishnagar, the police said.
The victims have been identified as Joy Das (30), Sagar Bath (15), Arup Nath (25), Sourav Nath (17), Angshu Nath (12), Bijay Nath (20), Ujjal Dutta (45) and Malay Sarkar (18).