A Rolls Royce Phantom collided with a petrol tanker on the New Delhi-Mumbai expressway near the Umri village in Haryana‘s Nuh on Tuesday, leaving two individuals dead and three injured.
The deceased were identified as the tanker driver, Rampreet, and his assistant Kuldeep. The incident also left three occupants of the Phantom severely injured. The injured individuals, identified as Divya and Tasbir from Chandigarh, and Vikas from Delhi, were rushed to a Gurgaon hospital for immediate medical attention.
Reports indicate that the Rolls Royce Phantom was hurtling at a speed of 230 kilometres per hour at the time of the collision, leaving little chance of evading the catastrophic impact.
In the aftermath of the collision, visuals from the scene unveiled a grim picture of destruction. The Rolls Royce Phantom, which has a price tag of over ₹10 crore, was reduced to a twisted heap of metal and flames. The fiery wreckage showed the intensity of the collision, while its once-luxurious orange interior was charred and exposed.
Eyewitnesses recounted the moments that followed the accident, shedding light on the swift evacuation of the occupants of the Phantom.
“On that day, after we got information of the accident, we arrived on the scene within five-six minutes. By this time the accident was over… and the tanker was on fire. But there was nobody in the car… they had left,” one local told media power personnel.
Police officials had earlier confirmed that the occupants of the Phantom were removed from the scene, either by their relatives or by those following them in another vehicle.
“There were maybe 5-7, maybe eight, cars in a group… each was a ‘super car’. There were also escort cars in the front and rear. They took the people from the car, put them into another and took them away,” the eyewitness said.
Describing the high-speed sequence that culminated in the collision, an eyewitness reconstructed the tragic incident. “The tanker was coming from this lane,” he pointed, “It stopped there and waited to make a U-turn. The road was clear, and the truck started turning, but the car was travelling so fast… the control room recorded its speed as 230 km per hour.”
Another observer expressed dismay that the truck driver was being held responsible for the accident. “They are poor people… working for a living,” he said, highlighting the plight of the tanker drivers who bear the brunt of accidents triggered by stunt driving.
Unconfirmed reports on social media said that the oil tanker was travelling on the wrong side of the road when the accident happened. After the collision, the truck – which was carrying diesel – overturned and caught fire.
Ashok Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Nuh Police, provided insight into the ongoing investigation. “Eyewitnesses say the car was speeding, and this led to the accident. We cannot confirm this at this time or the speed at which it was being driven. The investigation is ongoing,” he stated, adding that the tanker occupants were regulars in the route and that both vehicles involved in the accident were coming from Delhi.
“There is space for a U-turn at the accident site but we are still establishing the sequence of events. We do know the tanker was hit on its side. We are presently taking the statements of those injured and will go to the Gurgaon hospital for this soon,” he said.
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