E-Paper
UP: 5 women, 3 kids dead as pickup truck carrying devotees rams into trailer in Kaushambi
UP: 5 women, 3 kids dead as pickup truck carrying devotees rams into trailer in Kaushambi
Kaushambi , A pickup truck carrying devotees rammed into a stationary trailer truck on a national highway in Kaushambi district on Friday, killing five women and three children, police said.
The accident took place near Doroma petrol pump under the Saini police station area around 4 pm.
The pickup vehicle, en route to Fatehpur from Prayagraj, crashed into a trailer parked on the roadside, a local police official said.
The victims, residents of the Jahanabad-Bindki area in Fatehpur district, were returning home after visiting the 'Maa Sheetla' shrine at Kada Dham. They had earlier travelled to Prayagraj to attend a child's tonsure ceremony, the police said.
Around two dozen devotees, including women and children, were travelling in the pickup truck at the time of the incident, the official added.
Additional Director General of Police Jyoti Narayan, who also reached the accident site, confirmed to PTI that eight people died in the crash, while several others sustained serious injuries.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic, with injured passengers lying on the highway and calling for help. Locals rushed to the spot and alerted authorities.
Police, along with emergency teams, launched rescue operations and deployed multiple ambulances to shift the injured to a nearby Community Health Centre.
An official associated with the health department said more than 20 injured persons were brought to the facility, some with fractures, while several were referred to the district hospital for advanced treatment. A few victims succumbed to their injuries while being taken to hospital, the official added.
Traffic on the highway was briefly disrupted following the accident but was later restored. Police have initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the crash.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
He directed officials to reach the spot immediately and expedite relief and rescue operations, according to an official statement.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
