Three people were killed on Saturday morning after a car collided head-on with a trailer amid dense fog on National Highway 31 in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district, police said.
The accident occurred at Garam Basti when the car, travelling from Hasimara towards Alipurduar, rammed into a trailer coming from Assam. Thick fog severely reduced visibility in the early morning hours, causing both vehicles to lose control. The impact crushed the car, while the trailer overturned on the roadside.
Mithun Barman, officer-in-charge of Nimti Police Outpost, said the police rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information. “Due to dense fog and possibly overspeeding, visibility was extremely poor, which led to the collision. The injured were rescued and sent to hospital,” he said.
Local residents, alerted by the sound of the crash, assisted the police in rescue operations. Three occupants trapped inside the mangled car were pulled out and taken to Alipurduar District Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.
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Police sources said the deceased were residents of the Kumargram area in Alipurduar district, though their identities are still being formally verified.
An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the accident and to determine whether overspeeding or negligence was involved. Traffic movement on the busy highway was disrupted for some time following the crash.
The incident comes amid a sharp dip in temperatures across West Bengal, accompanied by widespread dense fog. The Alipore Meteorological Department has forecast a further drop of 1–2 degrees Celsius over the next two days and has warned motorists to exercise caution while driving in low-visibility conditions.
Last week, a similar fog-related accident claimed one life in South 24 Parganas, prompting authorities to once again urge drivers to slow down, use fog lights and avoid high-speed travel during early morning and late-night hours.
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