Mumbai, May 2 : A distressing hit-and-run incident has come to light in the Powai area of Mumbai, where a speeding tempo struck three labourers working along the road and fled the scene. All three victims sustained severe injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment.

According to police officials, the Powai Police have registered a case against an unidentified driver and launched a search operation to trace and apprehend the accused. The incident occurred in Morarji Nagar, where a contractor appointed by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation had deployed a team of labourers for sewer cleaning work.

Preliminary reports indicate that while the labourers were engaged in cleaning activities, a tempo moving at high speed rammed into them. The driver immediately fled the spot without offering any assistance to the injured.

In connection with the case, the contractor has been taken into custody for questioning, and further investigations are underway to determine any lapses in safety protocols at the work site.

In a separate incident on May 1, a woman lost her life in a hit-and-run accident near Majiwada junction in Thane. The victim, employed as housekeeping staff at a nearby residential complex, was attempting to cross the busy Mumbaiâ??Nashik highway while returning home to Mumbra.

Police said the woman had crossed to the Nashik-bound side of the eight-lane highway in search of transport but misjudged the speed of oncoming traffic. She was struck by a tempo, whose driver also fled the scene. The victim was taken to Kalwa Government Hospital but was declared dead on arrival, informed senior Inspector Manjusha Bhongale of Kapurbawdi police station.

Data from the city traffic police highlights the growing concern over road safety, revealing that hit-and-run incidents accounted for 38 per cent of all fatal crashes in Mumbai in 2023, with pedestrians comprising 54 per cent of the victims.

/IANS