Girl, 7, dead as LPG tanker ploughs into slum cluster in Bhopal past midnight

Bhopal: A sleeping seven-year-old girl was crushed to death and four members of her family injured after a speeding LPG tanker went out of control and ploughed into a cluster of makeshift homes in the Chhola Mandir area of Bhopal in the early hours of Sunday. The accident occurred around 2:20 am near Gol Chauraha in Bhanpur, within the jurisdiction of Chhola Mandir Police Station, when the tanker smashed through a boundary wall, veered off the road and rammed into at least three huts located on an open patch near the roadside. Two other huts were also damaged by the impact. Khushi Gaihar (7), who was asleep inside the hut with her family, was crushed under the tanker. The child remained trapped beneath its wheels for more than two hours as rescue efforts continued through the night. She used to spend her days helping her family sell soft toys like teddy bears and small playthings by the roadside near Gol Chauraha. "From morning till late evening, she would sit beside her parents, calling out to passersby, holding up colourful toys in the hope of making a sale that would help the family get through the day," said a dweller. "We are very poor people, sir… please help us. Everyone was asleep, and we lost a child," said another resident present at the spot, as family members were seen weeping inconsolably on the road. Police said most residents in the locality were asleep when a loud crash followed by screams shattered the silence, causing panic across the settlement. Locals ran out of their homes and began trying to rescue those trapped under the debris even before police arrived. Khushi was eventually extricated in the presence of police personnel and rushed to a nearby private hospital in Bhanpur, where doctors declared her dead. Her parents, Monu Gaihar (35) and Manisha Gaihar, along with her younger brothers Aarush (5) and Tute (4), sustained injuries to their limbs in the crash. They were first taken to a nearby facility and later shifted to Hamidia Hospital and a private hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment. The family, originally from Misrikhganj village in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district, had been living in the slum cluster near Gol Chauraha. They earned a living by selling soft toys on the footpath. On Saturday night, after dinner, all members of the family were asleep inside their hut when the tanker crashed into their home. Eyewitnesses said the tanker was moving at high speed when the driver lost control, driving straight into the residential settlement. The impact was so severe that the vehicle not only destroyed one hut but also damaged nearby dwellings as it ploughed through the area. Police teams from Chhola Mandir and Nishatpura police stations reached the scene soon after receiving information and launched a coordinated rescue operation with the help of locals. The tanker has been seized and a technical inspection is underway. Police said the vehicle was found to be in proper mechanical condition, raising suspicion that the accident may have occurred due to driver fatigue or driving under the influence of alcohol. The driver fled the scene immediately after the crash and remains absconding. ACP Akshay Chaudhary confirmed that the accident claimed the life of the young girl while leaving her parents and siblings injured. A case has been registered and efforts are underway to arrest the driver. Administrative officials, including the local tehsildar, visited the site on Sunday morning and conducted an on-the-spot inspection. A proposal has been sent to provide financial assistance to the family.