Six Killed in Road Mishap in West Bengal

Kalyani (WB), March 3, 2007: Five members of a family and a driver were killed when their car collided with a mini-truck at Ranaghat area of Nadia district today.

A child was also seriously injured in the mishap that took place on NH-34, police said, adding among those killed included two women and two children.

Six persons of Chinese descent were travelling in the car to Mayapur, a favourite destination for pilgrims and tourists where the ISKCON Krishna temple is located, when it collided with the mini-truck killing five on the spot.

A critically injured child died at hospital while another child was taken to a Kolkata hospital and in serious condition, police said.

The deceased were identified as Rita Chang (44), Dalai Muli (32), Chang Ching Lee (10), Shu Chang Lee (9), Lee (55) and car driver Irfan Khan.

The family hailed from Kolkata.

The driver of the mini-truck was absconding.

Holi in Hues of Horror

Mar 6, 2007: KOLKATA, INDIA Little did the Chinese family living in the city for three generations know, while setting out in a car for Mayapur in Nadia to enjoy the celebration of Holi at the temple of Iskcon, that the journey would be etched on the memory of those surviving it in shades of horror.

The car they were traveling in collided with a speeding mini truck early yesterday morning on National Highway-34 near Ghantigachi in Ranaghat, Nadia, killing five, including two children.

The children had just finished their exams and the women in the family too wanted to go out for a break, said Mr. Thien Loo Lee, son of Yueh Hai Lee (54) who was killed in the accident.

We were born here and even though we are Buddhists, we celebrate all Hindu festivals, said Mr. Lee who works in a night club. His brother Mr. Thien Tsue Lee, a businessman, lost both his wife Dalamu, a clerk working at the Writers and son Chen, a class-V student at St Xaviers School, while another brother Mr. Thien Foo Lee lost his daughter, Xiu, a class-IV student at Loreto Day School, in the accident.

Our aunt Rita Chen (50), who is religiously inclined, suggested the visit to Mayapur as Holi is celebrated with fervour there, he said. Ritas five-year-old daughter, Mili, also accompanied Yueh, Rita, Dalamu Lee (42) and the two children, Chen Hsing Lee (10) and Xiu Jin Lee (9). While Mili survived the accident, all others, including the driver, Mohammed Irfan (32), were killed in the accident.

Mili, who also studies at Loreto Day School, suffered minor injuries and is admitted to a private hospital. The family started from the city on Friday night and stayed at a roadside hotel in Kalyani. From there, they started again around 4 a.m. The accident took place around 5.30 a.m. and we were informed of it around 6.30 a.m. by police, Mr. Lee said. There were only two children in the ten-member family and both of them were killed.

Driver of the mini-truck, Kalu Ghosh, who fled the spot, was arrested later by Ranaghat police.

The additional superintendent of police, Nadia, Mr. Subrata Mitra, said: Five persons died on the spot while two persons were admitted to the Ranaghat sub-divisional hospital where one of them died later.

According to preliminary investigation, the mini-truck was being driven carelessly in spite of the fog and low visibility.

Current Events Page