Three people, including a couple and a motorcyclist, were killed and two others were seriously injured after two cars allegedly racing each other crashed into vehicles near Barrackpore Wireless More on the Kalyani Expressway in the early hours of Saturday, police said.
The crash took place near Barrackpore Ambagan as a Hyundai Verna and a Mahindra Thar were travelling from Sodepur towards Naihati, according to the report. Police said the cars were being driven at high speed when one of them lost control and collided with three to four vehicles parked along the roadside.
A stationary motorcycle was also crushed in the collision, while one of the cars overturned. The impact badly damaged the vehicles. Police and rescue personnel reached the site and began operations after the crash.
Police identified the deceased as Arindam Goswami, 39, and Sangeeta Guha Goswami, 33, a couple who lived near Airport Gate No. 3, and Vishal Sharma, a motorcyclist from Maheshtala in Kolkata. Two other motorcycle riders sustained serious injuries and were taken to Barrackpore’s BN Bose Sub-Divisional Hospital. The report said doctors declared the three victims dead.
The second car involved in the alleged race fled the spot after the collision, according to a senior officer of the Barrackpore Commissionerate. Police said they were searching for the vehicle. The report did not provide details of any arrests or confirm whether the driver of the overturned car had been detained.
The crash has renewed concerns among residents and traffic officials about high-speed driving on the Kalyani Expressway during night and early-morning hours, when traffic is relatively light. Local residents alleged that some motorists use the wide, less-congested road as a racetrack. A traffic police officer said cameras monitor speed limits during the day and fines are imposed on violators, but added that regular night-time and early-morning surveillance and stricter action against speeding motorists were needed.
The report also said four people had died in separate high-speed accidents on the expressway over the previous two to three days. A local resident said the back-to-back incidents had increased concern ahead of the Durga Puja season, when traffic and public movement are expected to rise. Police were continuing the search for the fleeing vehicle and investigating the crash.
