Chaos erupted on Jharkhand’s Godda roads when a coal-transport truck somersaulted 40 feet off an elevated path, smashing into an NTPC coal rake and trapping its driver and aide in a nightmarish wreck. Occurring around 3:30 AM on Mahagama-Lalmatia stretch, the collision inflicted heavy damage and rail disruptions.
The vehicle (JH12S 7078) barreled through guardrails, landing inverted on NGR tracks and striking the rake’s front. Lalu Kumar, at the wheel, was hopelessly stuck under a wagon; Manish Kumar endured entrapment in the cabin wreckage for three hours. Dawn brought NTPC rescuers, spearheaded by Shubhashish Banerjee, who orchestrated the high-stakes pullout with police support.
‘Command relayed details fast—we hit the ground running,’ Banerjee explained post-op. Medevac transported the battered pair to care, where they fight for recovery. Rail lines, vital for NTPC’s coal lifeline, stood idle during salvage.
Preliminary inquiries suggest reckless speed amid darkness, fueling demands for enhanced safeguards like rumble strips and surveillance. The close call exposes vulnerabilities in Jharkhand’s logistics web, urging immediate highway reinforcements to avert future catastrophes.