Six killed in UP road accident

Lucknow : At least six labourers were killed and 17 others injured in a major road mishap when a speeding truck ran over them in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district Friday morning, police said.

The accident happened on National Highway-2 in Firozabad, about 290 km from here. Some residents of Jatavpuri village were standing by the roadside to secure their daily-wage jobs when a speeding truck, loaded with onions, coming from Kanpur and headed towards Tundla, ploughed into them.

Six labourers were killed on the spot, while those injured have been admitted to a nearby medical facility, Superintendent of Police (SP) Aparna H.S. told IANS.

The injured were shifted to hospital with the help of villagers. The dead are yet to be identified, police said.

The truck driver, who apparently lost control over the vehicle, later fled the scene. A manhunt has been launched to trace him, the SP added.