Ramgarh: Two persons were killed after a trailer carrying TMT bars overturned and plunged into a 15-ft-deep gorge in Chutupalu Valley on NH-33 on Tuesday, the third major accident on the stretch in five days. The latest crash came as police registered two FIRs against NHAI officials over the alleged faulty construction of a concrete sidewall along the highway.Ramgarh police station officer in-charge Naveen Prakash Pandey said the West Bengal-registered trailer was travelling from Ranchi towards Ramgarh when the driver lost control while negotiating the accident-prone stretch. The vehicle veered off the road and fell into the gorge.The impact sent iron rods piercing through the cabin, trapping the driver and co-driver. Both died on the spot.Police and NHAI officials launched a rescue operation using heavy machinery and gas cutters. The driver’s body was recovered after nearly 10 hours, while efforts to retrieve the co-driver’s body continued till late evening. Police said the bodies were severely mutilated, making identification difficult.The accident followed two fatal crashes in the valley. A woman was killed and five family members injured on Sept 6, while a railway employee died in a multi-vehicle collision on Sept 4.The victims’ spouses, Firoz Ansari and Jaywanti Tirkey, have now lodged separate complaints against NHAI officials. They alleged that the nearly 4km-long sidewall leaves no room for vehicles to pull over or manoeuvre during emergencies.Tirkey said her husband, who was riding a motorcycle from Ranchi to Ramgarh, could not move off the road when a speeding trailer hit him from behind on Sept 4. Ansari alleged that he had no space to steer his car to safety when a speeding truck hit it on Sept 6, killing his wife, Sara Tabsum.Residents have demanded gaps in the wall and emergency bays. NHAI project director Vijay Kumar attributed many accidents to overspeeding by heavy vehicles and said a proposed realignment through the valley was expected to provide a long-term solution to congestion and safety concerns.
