GUWAHATI :  Four people, including a woman government official and two young medical students, lost their lives in a road accident at Tetelia near Sonapur on Friday morning when the Bolero vehicle they were travelling in crashed into a parked truck.

The victims, all residents of Arunachal Pradesh, died on the spot as a result of the impact of the severe collision.

According to police, the Bolero, bearing Arunachal Pradesh registration and carrying a government plate identifying it as a vehicle associated with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, was travelling towards Guwahati when it rammed into the rear of a truck parked along the roadside under Khetri Police Station limits near Sonapur.

The deceased have been identified as Lingi Barsa, who was a doctor and was driving the vehicle, his wife Kunga Dolma, an official of the Arunachal Pradesh Food and Civil Supplies Department, their son, and his friend, both of whom were medical students.

Providing details of the incident, Ankur Jain, Joint Commissioner of Police, said that the family had started their journey from Itanagar at around 6 am and was headed towards Guwahati.

“The accident occurred under Khetri Police Station jurisdiction where a truck was parked near the roadside. A Bolero with Arunachal Pradesh registration crashed into the truck at high speed. All four occupants died in the collision. The driver, Lingi Barsa, and his wife, Kunga Dolma, their son and his friend were among the dead. Barsa had booked accommodation at Arunachal Bhawan in Guwahati, and the family had begun their journey from Itanagar early in the morning,” Jain said.

Police officials investigating the accident said preliminary findings suggest that excessive speed may have been a major factor behind the crash. Investigators found no visible skid marks or signs of emergency braking at the scene.

“When we examined the accident site, we found no indication that the driver had attempted to brake before impact. Eyewitnesses estimated that the vehicle was travelling at around 120 kmph. Based on the available evidence, we suspect that the driver may have fallen asleep while driving, though the exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation,” Jain added.

Meanwhile, questions were raised over the presence of the truck on the roadside.

However, traffic police maintained that the vehicle had been parked outside the designated carriageway and that authorities had already directed it to be moved as part of an ongoing statewide enforcement drive against roadside parking.

Jayanta Sarathi Bora, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said that police had instructed the truck driver to remove the vehicle before the accident occurred.

“The truck in question had already been identified by our personnel during an enforcement drive against roadside parking. Around 10:45 am, the concerned officer had directed the driver to move the vehicle. We are conducting similar drives not only in Guwahati but across Assam to prevent unsafe roadside parking. Preliminary findings indicate that the truck was parked outside the white line marking on the road,” Bora said.

Police have launched a detailed investigation into the incident to ascertain all circumstances surrounding the tragedy. (Source: PTI)