RANCHI, Nov. 7 -- A road accident claimed seven lives late Thursday night near the Jone-Ludru turn on the Karra-Torpa main road near Khunti, sparking furious protests from local villagers on Friday. Khunti superintendent of police Rishabh Garg said the tragedy unfolded around 9:45 PM on Thursday when a scooter rider lost control and fell into the bushes near a road culvert. "Seeing the accident, helpful residents from a nearby colony rushed to the scene to assist. As the group of villagers stood along the roadside, a speeding 18-wheeler trailer travelling from Torpa toward Karra lost control and ran directly over them," Garg said. A police official close to the matter said six people died on the spot. A seventh victim, 12-year-old Saurabh Nayak, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the Khunti Sadar Hospital at approximately 11:15 PM. After hitting the crowd, the massive truck broke through a culvert barrier and crashed into a ditch. The tragedy completely devastated two local households. The deceased have been identified as four from the Lohra family: Phagan Sanga, Karmi Lohrain, Subhani Kumari and Soni Kumari, and three from the Nayak family: Kasila Devi, Anjali and Saurabh Nayak. Additionally, a young girl named Khushbu Kumari was severely injured. After receiving initial treatment at the Khunti Sadar Hospital, she was referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for specialised care. Furious over the sudden loss of seven lives and demanding robust road safety measures, hundreds of villagers staged a massive protest on Friday morning, completely blocking the main road near the railway crossing. The protesters demanded immediate compensation for the dependents of the deceased and concrete steps to prevent future accidents on the stretch. The blockade was finally lifted around 1:30 PM on Friday following a swift response from senior district officials, including district transport officer Hari Shankar Bari, circle officer Anvesha Ona, BDO Smita Nageshia, and SDPO Vijay Kumar Singh. To provide immediate relief, the visiting officials personally pooled their own money to collect Rs.1.40 lakh on the spot, distributing Rs.70,000 each to the two families for immediate funeral and household expenses. Furthermore, the administration officially announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs.1 lakh for the dependents of each victim under government regulations and initiated the process for mandatory insurance payouts. To further support the family, authorities also arranged and funded an emergency flight ticket for Rajesh Lohra, who was working as a migrant labourer in Gujarat, allowing him to return home immediately....