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Four devotees killed, two injured in Kushinagar accident; CM Yogi expresses grief
Four devotees returning from Deoghar died in a car crash with a tractor-trolley in Kushinagar. Two others were injured; driver fatigue is suspected.
Four devotees returning from Deoghar, Jharkhand, were killed and two others were seriously injured after their car crashed into a stationary tractor-trolley near Baghi village under the jurisdiction of Patharwa police station in Kushinagar district on Sunday, said police.
The deceased have been identified as Ram Karan Gupta (50), a revenue officer; Sujeet Jaiswal (55), a village development officer (VDO); Kailash Mani Tripathi (50), a government school teacher and Manoj Kumar (40), a village head.
All four victims died on the spot due to the intensity of the collision. The injured, identified as Rajesh Sharma and Prashant Kumar, were rushed to the district hospital in Kushinagar, where they are currently undergoing treatment. One of them is said to be in critical condition, they added.
Taking cognizance of the tragedy, chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences and directed officials to ensure all possible assistance to the bereaved families and provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.
According to Tamukhi circle officer (CO) Rakesh Pratap Singh, the accident occurred when an Ertiga car carrying six friends collided head-on with a parked tractor-trolley. The impact was so intense that the car was completely mangled. The officer confirmed that all the victims were residents of Siddharth Nagar district and were reportedly close friends.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, having been on the road continuously since 10 pm on Saturday. The group had spent a day in Gopalganj before visiting Deoghar to offer prayers and were returning home at the time of the accident. Fatigue and sleep deprivation are suspected to have played a role in the crash. Fortunately, two passengers survived, reportedly due to the deployment of airbags, police added.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Akanksha Mishra stated that the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations and the families of the deceased have been informed. Authorities have registered a case and launched a formal investigation into the cause of the accident.
