Speeding car kills two children in south Delhi

NEW DELHI: An over-speeding car allegedly driven by an inebriated call centre employee hit six members of a family, killing two children and critically injuring the rest, here in the wee hours.

The accident occurred in Sangam Vihar locality of south Delhi at around 3 a.m. when the car rammed into a pavement where the victims were waiting for an autorickshaw after alighting from a bus.

All the injured were rushed to AIIMS where two of them --Ankit (3) and Sonu (6) -- were declared brought dead while their one-year-old sister Anu, parents Lal Chand and Suman and uncle Sombir are battling for their lives.

The family, residents of Tigri Extension in Sangam Vihar, returned from their native place Agra this morning and were waiting for a three-wheeler near the bus stand when the mishap occurred, police said.

"It seems they were sitting on the footpath when the car hit them. They did not get the time to run as the car was in high speed. The driver apparently lost control over the car when he tried to negotiate a pothole," a senior police official said.

The driver identified as Darpan, a call centre employee, was immediately taken into custody. His medical examination proved that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, the official said.

"He has been booked under sections 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the IPC," the police official added. Darpan, a resident of Janakpuri, was returning from Faridabad.