17 killed, 80 hurt in road accidents

Raipur, May 10 (UNI) Seventeen people were killed and 80 others injured in seven road accidents at different places in Chhattisgarh in the past 24 hours, police said today.

Shocked over the large number of road accidents, Chief Minister Raman Singh, before embarking on a visit to the interior areas for appraisal of his government's performance this morning, met the injured undergoing treatment at the medical college hospital here and issued directives to ensure their proper treatment.

In a major accident near the state capital yesterday, 6 persons were killed and two seriously injured when their speeding vehicle hit a roadside tree in Dharsiwa area.

In another accident near the state capital, as many as 32 people, including women and children, were injured when a tractor trolley in which they were travelling to Balodabazar from Bhatapara, overturned.

In a third accident in Raipur district, a woman and her daughter were killed when a stone-laden tractor trolley overturned in Tilda-Neora area.

Two persons were killed and 12 others injured when the tractor trolley they were travelling in collided with a truck on Rajnandgaon-Khairagarh road. While in another accident, one person was killed and another injured when a truck knocked down a two-wheeler in Rajnandgaon town.

Ten persons, including 5 children,who were riding bicycles, were injured when they were knocked down by a pick-up van.

Another five people were killed and about two dozen injured when a marriage party bus dashed against a tree after it was stoned near Chandramegha village in Sarguja district police said.

UNI Team-SP OM HT1550