Three of a family killed, three injured as SUV collides with roadways bus in Gonda
The impact was so severe that the front portion of the SUV was completely crushed, and its parts were scattered up to 100 metres on the road
In a tragic accident, three members of a family were killed and three others, including a three-year-old child, were seriously injured after their SUV collided head-on with an Uttarakhand roadways bus on the Gonda–Ayodhya highway in Gonda district on Sunday morning, said police officials.
The impact was so severe that the front portion of the SUV was completely crushed, and its parts were scattered up to 100 metres on the road.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the accident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families. He directed officials to expedite relief operations and ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured.
According to police, the victims were travelling to Ayodhya Airport to catch a flight back to Bengaluru after attending a wedding in Gonda. The accident occurred around 10 am near Anbhula Mor in Wazirganj police-station limits of Gonda.
Police said the SUV’s tyre burst suddenly, causing the vehicle to go out of control and crash into the bus coming from the opposite direction. Six members of the same extended family were in the car at the time.
The deceased have been identified as Akshat Agarwal, 35,–originally from Kanpur, working as a clerk at Canara Bank in Bengaluru, his mother Neeta Agarwal, 55, and his cousin Ashu Agarwal, 34, a resident of Agra. Three others, including Akshat’s wife Neha Gupta, 28, his daughter Anaya, 3, and his brother-in-law Nitin Gupta, sustained injuries. All three were rushed to the Nawabganj Community Health Centre, from where Nitin and Neha were referred to Lucknow in critical condition. Anaya suffered minor injuries.
According to family members, Akshat, his mother, wife, and daughter had flown from Bengaluru to Gonda on December 3 to attend the ceremony. Nitin’s cousin Ashu had joined them from Noida. The wedding took place on December 4, after which all six were preparing to return on December 7.
Dr DN Singh, chief medical superintendent at Gonda Medical College, said, “Around 10:30 am, six patients were brought to the hospital. Three were already dead. Two were in critical condition, and one child had minor injuries. On the request of relatives, the injured were referred to Lucknow for further treatment.” He said the three bodies have been kept in the mortuary. Post-mortem examinations are underway.
Additional SP (West) Radheshyam Rai said the bodies would be handed over to relatives after post-mortem.
