Purulia: Three women from Purulia, who were on their way to take a holy dip at the Maha Kumbh, died in an accident at Balipur near Nagnathpur National Highway in Uttar Pradesh, about 40km from Prayagraj, on Tuesday. The deceased were Jagori Mahato (45), Kunti Mahato (70) and Alpana Mahato (47).
Utraon SHO Pankaj Kumar Tripathi said the women were travelling in a bus. When the bus stopped at a petrol pump around 5.30am, some passengers went to the fields to attend nature's call. The three women were about to cross the road when they were hit by a speeding truck.
All three hail from Gopladi village under Tamna Police Station, about 15km from Purulia Town. The villagers had arranged a bus to travel to Prayagraj, and the journey had started on Feb 9. "There were60 passengers in the bus from Gopladi and surrounding villages," said an officer. Purulia SP Abhijit Banerjee said the bodies will be brought back.