It was a normal Sunday walk to shopping for sisters Arti Chand, 35, and 26-year-old Archana Chand, but little did they know it would be their last together.

The two sisters and Archana’s boyfriend were hit by a company vehicle at Kanace Road, Nasinu, yesterday on their way to the shop­ping centre.

The boyfriend, only known as Vicky, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the Valelevu Heath Centre.

Eyewitness Anjila Lal described what had transpired in a matter of minutes.

“When I heard a loud and smash­ing sound I ran out of my house. I saw the… vehicle hit them and the girls were flung under a parked car.

“We thought the girls had died at the scene, however we could still see them breathing.”

Ms Lal said her son rushed out with a blanket, which another man took to wrap the girls with be­fore they were taken to the health centre then rushed to Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva

Kanace Road where the accident took place. Photo: Ronald Kumar

“The vehicle seemed to be trav­elling at high speed when it hit a tree, rammed into the gate of someone’s compound and then hit Archana, Arti and Vicky,” Ms Lal said.

“Because of the impact, they were flung across the road.

“I know the girls, they had grown up here. Both their parents have died and they lived with their brother and sister-in-law.”

Their brother Sushil Chand said that he was at work when the sad news reached him.

He dropped everything and went to the scene.

“I arrived late at the scene, it is heart-breaking that I could not see them,” Mr Chand said.

His wife Litiana Marama was in a state of shock when she spoke to the Fiji Sun.

“Both sisters had been prepar­ing to go shopping and they were so excited that they did not even cook,” Ms Marama said.

“They wanted to buy food from Max Val-u. Unfortunately, they had not reached the shopping cen­tre when the incident happened.

“We came to know when we were told by a neighbour, who was at the site of the accident.”

Mr Chand confirmed that his younger sister Archana had passed away at CWM Hospital and Arti his older sister was in the In­tensive Care Unit (ICU).

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the suspect was still in cus­tody.

“All fatal incidents will only be classified once post-mortem ex­amination is conducted,” she said.

Investigations continue.

Edited by Percy Kean

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