Nagpur: Fourteen labourers were injured after an overloaded pickup van carrying farm workers overturned near Ganeshpur village in Mowad area of Narkhed tehsil on Monday morning. The labourers were travelling from Jarud in Amravati district to Belona village for orange harvesting work when the accident occurred.There were 24 labourers — hired on daily wages to pluck oranges and load them into trucks at orchards in the Belona area — in the pickup vehicle, police said.According to preliminary information, the mishap occurred near the Wardha river stretch close to Ganeshpur village when the driver allegedly lost control while negotiating a turn and the vehicle overturned. Hearing the crash, nearby residents rushed to the spot and helped rescue labourers trapped inside the overturned vehicle. They also alerted the police and local administration, after which the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.Of the injured, 14 labourers were brought to Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur. According to hospital officials, 13 of them were admitted to the trauma care centre, while one was admitted to the orthopaedics ward. Several victims sustained fractures, blunt injuries to the chest and head, and multiple abrasions, while a few were reported to be in serious condition and were under medical observation.The injured were identified as Babita Choudhari (45), Savita Kunbhu (40), Mangubai Uikey (60), Sanjay Kumbhare (21), Fagulal Sariya (40), Sharmila Kunbhu (30), Shamvati Sariya (50), Sharda Kunbhu (15), Vimla Sariya (35), Indu Fhate (38), Hemant Kumbhare (24), Sunil Invate, Asha Kumbhare, and Saraswati Kumbhare. The driver, Vijay alias Vicky Nisawade, also sustained injuries in the accident. Police registered a case against the driver and the vehicle owner, Arun Nisawade, who is also the driver’s father. Officials said preliminary findings suggested the vehicle carried passengers beyond its permitted capacity.Police reached the spot and began an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the crash. Officials said appropriate action would be taken if negligence was established.Authorities also said action was taken repeatedly against vehicles illegally transporting labourers in unsafe conditions. In the past three years, authorities took action against 62 such vehicles, while seven cases were already registered this year in the zone.Former MLA Devendra Bhuyar said his associates, corporator Lalit Khandelwal and Dinesh Kumbhare, helped shift the injured labourers to GMCH. He added that efforts were being made to ensure proper treatment and assistance for all those injured in the accident.
