The most severe incident occurred early Saturday morning in Janjgir-Champa district, where a collision between three trailers led to a massive fire, killing one driver who was burnt alive. The accident took place around 5 am near Kotgarh village on the Akaltara–Baloda main road under Akaltara police station limits. According to police, three trailers collided head-on, allegedly due to wrong-side driving. Soon after the impact, the vehicles caught fire.
One driver, identified as Sukhnandan God (32), a resident of Manikpur in Korba district, was trapped inside his vehicle and died on the spot. Two other drivers sustained injuries and were rescued by locals before the fire spread. Fire tenders later doused the blaze, which continued to smoulder for several hours. The body was sent for post-mortem, and an investigation is underway.
In a second incident in Rajnandgaon district, three people—including a maternal uncle and his two nephews—were killed when their motorcycle rammed into a truck on Saturday evening. The accident occurred near Somni police station when five family members were returning after visiting a local fair. Police said the truck driver suddenly turned the vehicle, leaving the bike rider with no time to react.
Suraj Yadav (24), a resident of Dhanid village in Durg district, died along with two children riding pillion. Two other minors, Rahul Yadav (11) and Ishan Yadav (8), sustained serious injuries and were admitted to hospital. Police seized both vehicles and said further action would be taken after preliminary investigation. A liquor bottle was reportedly found near the spot, though police said the cause of the crash is still being examined.
The third accident was reported late Saturday night in Surajpur district, where a speeding pickup truck hit two motorcycles near Sutiya Nala on the Baikunthpur Road under Kotwali police station limits. One bike rider died on the spot, while three others were critically injured. Locals apprehended the pickup driver and handed him over to the police.
Police officials said cases have been registered in all three incidents and investigations are ongoing to determine negligence, speed violations and other contributing factors.
.jpg)
