Kolkata, Mar 12 (IANS): Seven persons, including a child, were killed in a road accident on the National Highway near Gurap in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Tuesday after a dumper truck collided with an e-rickshaw.

Six passengers travelling in the e-rickshaw died on the spot, while its driver succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. The deceased have been identified as Bidyut Bera, his wife Priti Bera, their three-year-old son Bihan Bera, Ramprasad Das, his wife Nupur Das, and a college student named Srija Bhattacharya. The name of the e-rickshaw driver is yet to be known.

Hooghly (Rural) SP Kamanasish Sen said that the driver of the dumper truck has been arrested.

Locals said that soon after the accident, they tried to rescue the injured and shift them to the hospital.

“But all our attempts failed. The injuries were so severe that most of them died even before they could be shifted to the hospital,” said a local resident.