Meghalaya: 16 killed, over 50 injured as truck rams into concrete barricade

Shillong: An accident, in which an overspeeding truck rammed into the concrete barricade of a road in Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district, took the lives of around 16 people on Sunday, the police said. The accident in Jdohkroh village, 11 km from Nongstoin, also left more than 50 people critically injured.

According to a report by NDTV, the police said that vehicle was carrying 60 passengers, as compared to the earlier estimate of 30 passengers. Later it was found that many fell into the deep gorge, though the exact number of people has not been determined.

The passengers were proceeding towards Nonglang village to attend the synod of Presbyterian Church, said Sylvester Nongtnger, police chief of West Khasi Hills.

The injured, including the driver and helper of the truck, have been rushed to nearby hospitals and to the Shillong Civil Hospital. Witnesses said that accident was caused by overspeeding but the police are carrying on further investigation.