5 killed as ambulance rams into pick-up vehicle on Purvanchal Expressway
According to Amethi additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shailendra Kumar Singh, the ambulance was transporting the body of Ashok Kumar Sharma, a construction worker who died in a road accident in Gurgaon on Saturday, from Haryana to Bihar for the last rites.
Five people were killed and another person was injured when a speeding ambulance rammed into a stationary pick-up vehicle on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi early Sunday morning, senior police officials said.
The incident occurred near the 59.70 milestone on the expressway under Shukla Bazar police station limits when the ambulance, travelling from Nuh in Haryana and heading towards Samastipur in Bihar, rammed into the jeep from behind at around 5:30am on Sunday.
Expressing condolence over the deaths, U.P. chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the administration to initiate relief operations immediately.
According to Amethi additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shailendra Kumar Singh, the ambulance was transporting the body of Ashok Kumar Sharma, a construction worker who died in a road accident in Gurgaon on Saturday, from Haryana to Bihar for the last rites.
His son, Satish Kumar Sharma alias Raj Kumar, who worked at Devyani International firm in Delhi, and his three relatives were also in the ambulance. “Satish Kumar Sharma, his relatives Ravi Sharma and Phulo Sharma, ambulance driver Sarfaraz, and his helper Abid were killed while one Shambu Rai was injured in the mishap, the ASP said.
The jeep driver, Vijay Singh, informed the police that the ambulance, travelling at approximately 120 kmph, lost control and crashed into the vehicle which was parked on the roadside for puncture repair.
Local police and expressway teams responded promptly and rushed those injured to a nearby hospital, where five were declared dead, officials said, adding a toll-free helpline number has been issued by the district administration for the families of the victims.
