New Delhi:

A speeding taxi plowed through a crowded market in East Delhi’s Ghazipur on Wednesday night, running over at least 15 people and killing a woman. The driver, who was reportedly driving drunk, was caught by the people and handed over to the police.

The woman who died has been identified as 22-year-old Seeta Devi, a resident of Ghaziabad in neighbouring UP.

Of the 15 people hit by the car in Ghazipur’s Budh Bazaar, seven are said to be critically injured. They were all rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital nearby.

Sarita, one of the people hit by the car, has sustained injuries to her face near her left eye and her leg. Speaking to the media after the accident she said, “I was shopping with my daughter when I was hit. The market was filled with people when it happened. The car came from behind me and hit me. My daughter has injuries in her back and hand.”

The taxi was on its way to Mayur Vihar Phase 3, when the driver, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, rammed his car into the crowded Budh Bazaar area of Ghazipur around 9:30 pm.

CCTV cameras installed on the road showed the vehicle suddenly losing control and veering left, ramming into a man and his handcart, and other shops lining the road. As locals gather and start breaking the car’s windshield, it backs up and drives away. 

Another footage from a second CCTV camera catches the car seconds later dangerously swerving through the narrow and busy road, locals chasing it on foot.

Soon, the people managed to catch up – they vandalised the car, smashing its windshield, and breaking the doors before tipping it over. The video of the angry mob showed both the front airbags deployed in the vehicle.

When the police reached the spot, the locals gheraoed them and blocked the road, following which they used mild force to chase the mob away.