In a devastating road mishap near the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura’s Longtarai Valley subdivision, four labourers were killed and six others injured after a truck loaded with stone chips overturned on Sunday evening.

Police said the vehicle was on its way from Chamanu to the Biju Border Out Post carrying construction materials for development work being carried out near the international border.

SDPO Longtarai Valley Sonacharan Jamatia stated that the accident took place on a steep and badly damaged stretch of road. The truck reportedly failed to climb the uphill road and overturned while attempting to reverse.

Several labourers were sitting on top of the stone chips when the vehicle lost balance. They were thrown onto the road and buried under the heavy load as the chips came crashing down, resulting in the death of four workers on the spot.

“The labourers sitting above the truck were trapped under the stone chips and died instantly, while those travelling inside the cabin escaped with injuries,” Jamatia said.

Following the accident, personnel from nearby BSF camps rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operations. The injured were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared four labourers dead on arrival.

The deceased were identified as Balidhanjoy Tripura (47), Majida Tripura (50), Bathojoy Tripura (39), and Narjoy Tripura (36).

Six other labourers suffered injuries in the incident, and one of them is said to be in critical condition. Most of the injured persons were inside the truck cabin during the accident.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mishap.