Punjab: 7 pilgrims from UP killed after being run over by truck in Garhshankar

Six of 20 injured referred to PGIMER, Chandigarh; victims were going to pay obeisance at Khuralgarh Sahib, a shrine dedicated to Guru Ravidas, in Garhshankar sub division early on Thursday

Seven pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh died and 20 were injured when they were run over by a truck near Khuralgarh Sahib in Garhshankar division of Hoshiarpur district early on Thursday.

Seven pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh died and 20 were injured when they were run over by a truck near Khuralgarh Sahib in Garhshankar division of Hoshiarpur district on Thursday. (Representational photo)

Of the 20 injured, six were referred in a critical condition to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, while 14 were admitted to the Civil Hospital at Garhshankar.

The victims had come from Muzaffarnagar district to pay obeisance at the shrine dedicated to Guru Ravidas on the eve of Baisakhi. Garhshankar deputy superintendent of police Daljit Singh Khakh said the truck driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a slope and ran over the pilgrims, who were on foot, around 2am.

The driver abandoned the truck and fled after the accident. A search is on for him, while the truck has been impounded.