At least 24 people have been killed in a crash between two lorries in northern India, the latest accident involving migrant workers travelling huge distances home after losing their jobs in the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
The crash happened in the Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh state early on Saturday, when one of the lorries hit another parked at a roadside cafe. Around 35 other workers were injured – some seriously.
There have been a series of accidents involving migrant labourers trying to return home, and dozens have been killed.
The coronavirus lockdown has triggered a crisis for millions of Indians who rely on daily wages to survive. With no work, they have been heading home by foot, bicycles or in trains and vehicles arranged by the authorities.
India has reported over 85,000 coronavirus cases, surpassing China. More than 2,750 people have died so far.
The country has now started to ease the strict restrictions imposed in late March. In April alone, 122 million Indians lost their jobs amid the lockdown.
