Woman cyclist killed after truck overturns, sheds load

A woman was killed after being buried by the contents of an overturned truck as she was cycling early Sunday morning.

The truck, loaded with soil, was going from north to south at around 5 am, when it overturned at the crossroad of Nanding Lu and Liuxiang Lu, Fengtai district. The deceased, who was riding her bicycle, was buried in the soil dumped from the truck, said the owner of a nearby restaurant.

The witness, surnamed Han, said that he had heard the noise of the accident while he was working. He saw the truck driver crawl from the overturned truck and make a cellphone call.

"He seemed to be around 40, and was slightly injured on his shoulder," Han said.

Another witness, surnamed Fu, said that the driver did not know the woman had been buried until onlookers told him that two arms were sticking out of the earth pile, which was covered by the truck hood.

"The blood gradually colored the soil red and the woman's bicycle was totally broken apart," Fu said.

Rescue services arrived 10 minutes after the accident, but despite their best efforts, the victim was not breathing when she was dug out, the Legal Mirror reported.

Fu said that she heard the truck driver telling police that he was trying to avoid a man who was riding an electric bicycle, and then the truck turned over.

"People at the front of the crowd said that the woman is about 30 years old and there was a pair of black high-heeled shoes not far from the truck," she said.

"The police took away the driver's driving license and vehicle license for investigation," said Fu.

Calls to both the police station and transportation department of Fengtai district went unanswered Sunday.