Alipurduar/Jalpaiguri: Two separate road accidents in North Bengal have claimed two lives and left several others injured, including one in critical condition.

In the first incident, a 22-year-old youth, Rupesh Mahato, a mason from the Rydak Tea Garden area, died in a late-night motorcycle accident under Samuktala Police Station. According to local sources, the mishap occurred around 11:30 PM on Wednesday when Rupesh, along with a companion, was returning home in the rain. He allegedly lost control of the motorcycle near Tiyamari Ghat and crashed into a culvert.

Both riders were rescued and taken to Jashodanga Rural Hospital, where Rupesh was declared dead at around 2 AM. His companion, Jugal Minj, was later shifted to a private hospital in Cooch Behar, where he remains in a coma. The body has been sent to Alipurduar District Hospital for post-mortem, and the incident has cast a pall of grief over the area.

In another incident, a head-on collision near Maynaguri Road claimed the life of 77-year-old Krishna Saha and injured at least five others. The victims were travelling from Siliguri to Jamalda to attend a wedding when their vehicle collided with a lorry coming from the opposite direction.

Eyewitnesses said the lorry, heading towards Jalpaiguri from Dhupguri, swerved while attempting to avoid a collision and rammed into the smaller vehicle and a nearby police traffic booth, completely destroying the structure. Another car also got caught in the crash.