Guwahati, Oct 11 (IANS): Four children, including a one-and-a-half month-old infant, were mowed down by a speeding SUV in Assam's Dhubri district on Friday, officials said.

A police officer said in Guwahati that the sports utility vehicle (SUV), driven by a woman, hit the four kids when they were standing in front of their homes adjacent to National Highway 17 at Sonakhali village.

The victims, identified as Mariam Khatun (12), Zubair Rahman (9), Mehdi Hussain (11) and 40-day-old newborn, Abu Raihan.

The police officer citing the local residents said that the three children were standing near the National Highway while Mariam Khatun was holding the 40-day-old kid in her arms.

The speeding SUV lost control and struck the children. The three minors died on the spot while the infant succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

The driver of the vehicle, reportedly a woman, fled the spot soon after the mishap. The woman was learning to drive a vehicle.

The police apprehended the owner of the vehicle and are looking for the woman driver.

Locals have demanded swift and firm action against the driver of the SUV.

The heartbreaking incident gripped the people of the area in deep shock and has sparked an outpouring of anger over the senseless and untimely loss of young lives.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently claimed that though the number of road accidents in the state has increased compared to last year, fatalities have dropped due to timely medical intervention.

The Chief Minister, who earlier on a number of occasions asked the officials to take stringent actions against those who violate the traffic rules, had said that in January 2023, the state recorded a total of 654 accidents, while 819 accidents were reported in the corresponding period this year.

In February 2023 and 2024, the road accidents reported in Assam were 582 and 822, respectively, an increase of more than 41 per cent.

Every month, the number of road accidents increased this year compared to the previous year.

In June 2023, only 555 cases occurred across the state, while the figure went up to 1,234 cases in June 2024 -- a rise of more than 122 per cent. The increase was lowest between May 2023 and May 2024 when 686 cases happened in the previous year and 831 accidents occurred this year.

Between January to June in the previous year, a total of 3,746 accidents occurred while during the same period, 5,460 accident cases were recorded this year.