Gangtok, Feb 11: Three people were killed and several others were injured when a speeding truck rammed into a carnival (mela) at Ranipool, 11 kilometers from Gangtok on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred around 7:13 pm.
The truck plying from uphill Gangtok side rammed straight through the turn into the crowd at the mela.
The mela venue, otherwise a truck stand, was hosting the mela for over a month.
Among the three killed, one is a female in her mid 20s while the other two males are in mid 30s. The identity of the female and one male is yet to be known. The one known male casualty was an off duty police officer.
Collectively 20 people were rushed to Central Referral Hospital in Tadong with one brought dead.
Over 17 people were injured, the youngest is a 11 year old male and the eldest is 60 year old male and another police officer.
Hundreds of people were at the mela, with the milk truck firstly ramming into as many as three taxi vehicles parked outside the mela venue pushing and dragging the vehicles towards the crowd.
The driver in his mid 20s is unharmed. He has been taken into police custody.
The vehicle has the bearing of Sikkim Milk Union, while no other ownership of the truck is known as of yet, informed the Sikkim Police.
