Four labourers dead in accident in Chhattisgarh

Four labourers were killed while eight others sustained injuries when the pick-up van they were travelling in rammed into a stationary truck in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district in the early hours today.

The accident took place around 1 AM when the labourers were returning to Suhela from Palari, police said.

"The van, which was carrying 18 persons, hit a stationary truck, leaving three people dead on the spot," said Nikita Tiwari, station house officer, Simga police station.

Another labourer succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital, she said.

Of the eight injured, three were sent to a Raipur hospital, while five persons were discharged after administering first aid, she said.

The victims hailed from Jharkhand and were engaged in the work to lay power transmission lines in the district, the officer said.