1 dead, 7 injured as SUV crashes into goods carrier in Chhattisgarh

A man was killed and seven other persons were injured after a speeding SUV rammed into a mini goods vehicle carrying passengers in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara city, police said on Monday.

The accused SUV driver, son of a local businessman, escaped from the spot after the accident on Sunday night. Some locals later ransacked his house and vandalised the vehicles parked there.

The incident occurred in the Singhauri ward under the City Kotwali police station area, a senior official here said.

As many as 17 persons from Boriya-Bagod village were returning in the goods vehicle after attending a family function in nearby Baijalpur village of Bemetara, when the SUV, allegedly driven by a youth, hit it from the rear end, he said.

The impact left several passengers of the goods vehicle seriously injured. Of them, Jeevan Sahu (27) succumbed during treatment at a hospital, while three critically injured victims were referred to Raipur for further treatment, the police official said.

The accused SUV driver, said to be an adult, escaped from the spot. His vehicle was later found parked outside his house here, he said.

Efforts were on to trace the accused driver. His father, a local businessman, was being questioned, the official said.

A case was registered in connection with the incident, and a further probe was underway, he added.

Tension gripped the area after the accident as some locals vandalised the accused driver's residence and vehicles, including some cars and motorcycles, parked there.

The protesters also gathered outside the local police station, raising slogans and accusing authorities of inaction.

They later placed the victim's body on National Highway-30, blocking traffic for hours while demanding strict action against the driver.

The locals have also called for a bandh in the city on Tuesday.

Bemetara Senior Superintendent of Police Ramakrishna Sahu said they have taken a serious note of the incident, and legal action is underway against the accused driver.

"We appeal to the public to maintain peace," he said.

Security has been deployed in the city to prevent any untoward incident, he added.