Ghaziabad: One killed, six injured as van crashes into moving truck on Delhi Meerut Expressway

A 42-year-old van driver was killed and six passengers were injured after their vehicle crashed into the rear of a moving truck on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Bhojpur in Ghaziabad late Monday evening, police said on Tuesday

A 42-year-old van driver was killed and six passengers were injured after their vehicle crashed into the rear of a moving truck on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Bhojpur in Ghaziabad late Monday evening, police said on Tuesday.

Preliminary information suggests the driver received a call on his mobile phone and was attending it when he lost control of the vehicle. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Police identified the driver as Kafeel Ahmad, 42, and said he was ferrying passengers from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and Gurugram when the crash took place around 7.50pm.

The six injured passengers were identified as Mohammad Danish, 23, Mohammad Naved, 22, Mohammad Arif, 34, Ahad, 16, Mohammad Amir, 25, and Mohammad Faiz, 18. Police said all six passengers and Ahmad were residents of Bijnor.

“The van, with seven people including the driver on board, crashed into the rear of a truck on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. Preliminary information suggests the driver received a call on his mobile phone and was attending it when he lost control of the vehicle. The truck was moving at around 50kmph,” said Siddharth Gautam, assistant commissioner of police, Modinagar circle.

The van was badly damaged in the collision. Passers-by alerted police, following which all seven occupants were taken to a hospital in Meerut, Gautam said.

Ahmad died of his injuries later on Monday night.

“Four passengers suffered minor injuries, while two sustained serious injuries and remain under treatment. Both are stable,” the ACP said.

Police said Ahmad regularly ferried passengers from Nagina in Bijnor to Delhi and Gurugram.

When contacted, Ahmad’s brother declined to comment, saying the family was preparing for the last rites.

“The truck driver was detained soon after the crash and the vehicle was seized. Ahmad’s body was sent for an autopsy. We expect his family to approach police with a complaint after completing the last rites,” Gautam said.