BAREILLY: They may not even have heard of the Oktoberfest, let alone take part in the Bavarian beer festival, but villagers living around the Bada bypass in Bareilly more than made up for it on the last day of October when a truck carrying the 'strong' variety of a popular beer turned turtle.Soon, word spread and villagers dashed from their houses carrying jerrycans, tumblers, mugs, jars, even polythene bags to carry lager home. An impromptu fest ensued and within no time many turned tipsy and started brawling for more. Finally someone alerted the cops and they rushed to control a by-now riotous crowd.The accident happened late Thursday night on the bypass that connects Lucknow to Delhi. Locals rescued the truck driver and his brother, who received minor injuries, before turning to the cargo.Tipplers from the surrounding villages, too, swarmed to the site for the free-for-all and carried the damaged cans and bottles in kitchen utensils when they failed to procure anything better. Witnesses claim some packed the cartons in their cars and sped off before police could nab them.Jitendra Kumar, who witnessed the crash, said, "The driver lost control over the vehicle after a bicycle rider suddenly came in front of the truck, which swerved and then flipped over. Due to the impact of the crash, several cartons of beer spilt all over the road. It didn't take long before locals and passersby started picking up the bottles and cans. Some started right there."Raju Singh, a local resident, added, "Not only locals from adjoining villages, even commuters started drinking the beer at the spot as no cop was there to guard the truck. The intoxicated people then turned unruly and the police had to be called in to control the situation."CB Ganj police finally arrived at the spot to control the situation.(Cheers! Villagers rushed to the truck and helped themselves to the beer.)Confirming reports about the incident, inspector Sunil Kumar Sirohi of CB Ganj police station said: "We controlled the situation. A case has been registered and investigation is under process."He added, "Traffic came to a halt at the site and it was only after the spill was cleared that the bypass was reopened for vehicles. The truck was on its way to Gonda from Meerut."District excise officer Anand Shankar said, "A case had been registered with the police and we are yet to ascertain the total number of cartons the truck was carrying."