Gangtok: Atwo andhalf year oldboy,his mother and two other passengers and driver had a miraculous espace yesterday afternoon albeit with injuries when their vehicle a Maruti Van Taxi SK-04-7202 collided headlong with a 7.5 tonne army truck.
The taxi was moving downhill,plying between Gangtok and 6th mile,when it crashed into the army truck moving uphill at Joredhara, a short distance away from Central Referral Hospital where all the injured were rushed to for medical treatment.
The collision impact was so severe that taxi bounced back and twirled a full 360degree, coming to halt facing uphill and even the full metal body of the truck bore a major dent at place of impact.The driver side of taxi completely caved in, windshield completely smashed and passenger door buckled inwards towards driver's seat.Mahesh Basnet, the driver of the vehicle, was seriously injured in the mishap, police said. The accident led to traffic congestion on NH-31A. Senior police and Army officials rushed to the spot soon after the accident.
According to one of passenger eyewitness Harka Tamang who escaped without any scratch that "collision was so sudden as they were going downwards and crashed with a big truck"
while 24 year old BimlaTamang and her infant son Varun were sitting on front seat, 62years old Srilal Chhetri ,Harka Tamng were sitting back and driver Mahesh Basnett,26 was a regular on this route and all except Mr.tamang under medical treatment at CRH.
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