Three Chhattisgarh youths killed as coal-laden trailer overturns on Korba road

RAIPUR: Three youths were killed on the spot after a coal-laden trailer lost control and overturned onto their motorcycle on the Pali-Dipka road in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district on Wednesday morning.

According to police and local accounts, the trailer was carrying coal from SECL’s Dipka mine to Bilaspur when it went out of control and overturned in the middle of the road. At the same time, three youths from Potapani village, who were travelling on a motorcycle towards Dipka for work, were caught under the heavy vehicle and crushed to death. All three died at the scene.The accident took place around 9am near Nunera village in Pali.

The deceased were later identified as Brijpal Singh Kanwar, 23, Mangal Singh, 25, and Om Prakash. Locals said the three worked with a private company in Dipka and were on their way to work when the accident occurred.Eyewitnesses said the trailer was moving at high speed and appeared to veer towards shops and houses on the left side of the road before the driver suddenly tried to steer it back. Local discussion at the spot suggested the driver may have dozed off momentarily at the wheel, causing the vehicle to sway and then overturn.

Police have not officially confirmed this angle and said the exact cause of the crash is under investigation.After the accident, the driver fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. Police said a case has been registered and efforts are on to trace and arrest him.The impact of the crash was so severe that excavator machines had to be brought in to remove the spilled coal and lift the overturned trailer to recover the bodies.

Traffic on both sides of the road was badly hit, with long queues of vehicles building up as rescue and clearance operations continued.The incident sparked outrage among relatives and villagers, who reached the site and staged a road blockade, demanding compensation for the families of the deceased and strict action against the driver. Police and administrative officials remained at the spot, trying to pacify the protesters.The bodies were later sent for postmortem after inquest proceedings.