Kutch: At least seven workers were killed and more than 20 others injured after a truck collided head-on with a pickup carrying workers inside the Renewable Energy (RE) Park near Khavda in Gujarat’s Kutch district in the early hours of Friday, police said.
The accident occurred around 4 a.m. when the two vehicles, travelling in opposite directions, collided. The impact left the pickup badly mangled, trapping seven workers inside the wreckage.
“A truck and a pickup truck travelling in opposite directions collided. The impact left the pickup truck mangled. All the victims were occupants of the Bolero Camper,” an official said.
The seven trapped workers were extricated with the help of a crane, but all died in the accident. More than 20 injured workers were taken to a hospital by ambulance for treatment.
Preliminary reports indicated that the pickup truck was carrying more than 20 workers at the time of the collision.
However, the exact number of occupants and the identities of those killed were not immediately available in the police account.
Officials said the bodies were being transported from Khavda to Bhuj for post-mortem examinations.
Police have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the collision and are examining whether negligence contributed to the accident.
The precise cause of the crash and whether any safety violations were involved remain under investigation.
The accident occurred within the Khavda renewable energy development area, where large-scale clean-energy projects are being developed across the arid region of Kutch. The construction activity has brought a substantial workforce and supporting infrastructure to the area.
Investigators are expected to establish how the two vehicles collided and whether any lapses contributed to the deaths and injuries.
Further details, including the identities of the deceased and the condition of those injured, were not immediately available.
Police have not yet disclosed whether any case has been registered against the drivers or whether any arrests have been made in connection with the accident.
(IANS)
