Eight people lost their lives and two others sustained critical injuries when a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) crashed into a stationary tractor loaded with corn in the Kursela police station area in Bihar's Katihar district on Tuesday.
The accident occurred around 1 a.m. on State Highway 77, near the Bajrangbali Temple, when the SUV, reportedly part of a wedding procession, crashed into the tractor parked on the roadside.
Family members said the wedding party was going to Koskipur village near Kursela from Barhara Kothi Dibra Bazaar in Purnea district.
When the vehicle approached the Diyara Chandpur bridge, its driver reportedly lost control, leading to the accident.
The impact was so severe that the SUV was mangled beyond recognition.
All injured victims were rushed to Sameli Community Health Centre by local police, where doctors have declared eight of them dead on arrival.
Two seriously injured persons are referred to a higher medical facility for advanced treatment. Local people blame the accident on a common but hazardous practice of drying corn on roads.
Despite daily reports of accidents, authorities have allegedly taken no effective action to curb the practice.
"Corn is spread over half of the National and State Highways for drying, forcing vehicles to navigate dangerously narrow lanes. In this case, the SUV's driver lost control as the road was slippery due to maize spread over it," a local said.
The local police are now identifying the farmers who have spread the maize on the road.
Road users have repeatedly demanded stricter enforcement, citing rising accident rates during the harvest season due to roadside obstructions.
On May 4, two people were killed and three others injured in a head-on collision between a car and a truck in Bihar's Gopalganj district.
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