3 dead, 20 injured as milk truck rams into multiple cars at Sikkim fair

 CCTV footage of the incident shows the moment the cars got pushed into the fair grounds after the milk tanker rammed into them.

Anupam Mishra, India Today, & agencies Ranipool, Feb 11, 2024 : At least three people died and 20 were injured on Saturday after a milk tanker rammed into three cars which were parked near a fair in Sikkim's Ranipool 11 km from Gangtok at about 7.30 pm on February 10.. 

Several people gathered in the area got crushed under the vehicles as the force of the collision pushed them into the mela ground. 

CCTV footage of the incident shows the moment the cars got pushed into the fair ground after the tanker rammed into them. Onlookers who were not injured in the incident rushed to help the people who got under the vehicles.

As per a preliminary probe, the milk tanker's brake failed, leading to the accident. The injured were taken to the Central Referral Hospital and the death toll is likely to increase.

The mela ground was filled with people at the time of the accident as a 'tambola' game was being held there.

Other two wheelers and cars were also damaged.

The milk tanker had the Sikkim Milk Union's label on its side but was already been sold in an auction to a private party named Rajesh Kumar Tamang of Ranipool.

Three people were killed (two brought dead) and five are in critical condition, three are discharged while out of 27 admitted 16 injured are admitted. 

Among the 3 dead, 1 is a woman in her mid 20s while the others are men in their mid-30s. The identities of the woman and a man are yet to be ascertained. The third man was an off-duty police officer of Paykyong Police station. 

Among the injured, the youngest is an 11-year-old boy and the oldest is a 60-year-old man. The driver, in his mid-20s, was not injured and has been taken into custody. He was not driving under the influence of alcohol, initial reports said. 

The  truck coming from uphill Gangtok lost control and first hit three taxis parked outside the venue of mela being held at a truck terminal for over a month now, dragging them towards the crowd. It then plowed through the crowd. The incident happened a little after 7 pm this evening when hundreds had gathered at the mela ground. 

The cars got pushed into the fair ground after the tanker rammed into them. Onlookers who were not injured in the incident rushed to help the people who got under the vehicles. 

P.S. Tamang, Chief Minister has announced 5 lakh to the family member of the deceased in the incident from the CM's relief fund while Government will take care of the patients for their treatments.