Highway mishap claims 7 near Melli ANAND OBEROI

GANGTOK, 22 Apr: A passenger jeep plying from Singtam to Siliguri flew off the road at Kirney on the West Bengal side of NH 31A near Melli today, tumbling more than 200 feet off the highway and claiming the lives of all seven on board the vehicle at the time. Among the dead are a minor and his mother. The accident occurred at around 2 p.m. at a spot around 2 kms ahead of Kirney towards Melli.
The ill fated taxi was plying from Singtam to Siliguri and is reported to have lost control at the narrow turning ahead of Bhalu Khola bridge around a kilometer short of Melli.
Eye-witness accounts suggest that the vehicle was speeding and that the diver was rashly overtaking other vehicles when he lost control at the spot.
Ranjit Rai and Gautam Chettri, two youth from Singtam who saw the vehicle lose control and fly off the road, were also among the first people to negotiate the steep slope and reach the vehicle from where they helped recover the dead bodies.
“The driver was speeding when he lost control. The vehicle smashed through small trees on its tumble down, so fast was it travelling,” recalls Mr. Rai. Fire rescue teams from Kalimpong arrived at the spot in around half an hour, he adds. Mr. Rai helped out as well and received injuries on his feet while helping recover the dead bodies.
He also informs that most of the victims were trapped under the vehicle and that the driver was crushed between the seat and the steering wheel. “There were around 100 bystanders but only around ten of us braved it down the slope as first respondents to the accident. Five bodies were recovered within an hour but then the dead body of the child and another victim was nowhere in sight which is why heavy machinery and manpower was needed to see if the two bodies were still trapped under the vehicle,” states Mr. Chettri.
Their fears proved correct and the two bodies were recovered from under the vehicle eventually.