Seven tribals killed in Maharashtra acident

Seven tribal people died and 15 others were seriously injured when a tractor trolley they were riding fell 70 feet into a gorge in the hilly Melghat area, about 175 km from here, Sunday.

A 60-strong tribal group from Hira Mamai village of Dharni sub-district headquarters hired the tractor for a trip to the weekly market in Danda Talaiyya on the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border area, Amravati district rural police sources told IANS.

'The freak mishap took place as the tractor, climbing a steep ascent, stopped suddenly midway after an engine failure and the trolley, disengaged from it, rolled down', the sources added.

The seven dead included three women, three children and a 62-year-old man, the police control room said. The injured have been admitted to the Achalpur rural hospital nearby.

'While five of the injured persons are in a critical condition, the others are out of danger', the police said.


IANS