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10 killed after car carrying Maha Kumbh devotees collides with bus on Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway
The accident occurred on the Mirzapur-Prayagraj highway near the Meja police station in Prayagraj when a Bolero car collided with a bus.
At least 10 people were killed and 19 others injured when a car carrying Maha Kumbh devotees from Chhattisgarh collided with a bus on the Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway in Uttar Pradesh around Friday midnight.
DCP Yamunanagar Vivek Chandra Yadav said the bodies had been sent to Swaroop Rani Nehru Medical Hospital for post-mortem, and further procedures were underway.
The crash took place around 2am on the Mirzapur-Prayagraj highway near the Meja police station in Prayagraj when a Bolero car collided with a bus.
The deceased devotees were travelling from Chhattisgarh's Korba to take a holy dip at the Sangam during the Kumbh. The bus involved in the accident was reportedly carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh.
The accident is suspected to have occurred when the Bolero's driver dozed off and lost control of the vehicle.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and instructed officials to reach the site and expedite relief efforts. He also directed authorities to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the accident, calling the loss of lives in the road mishap "extremely sad" and extending her wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Sharing her condolences via Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Murmu wrote on X, “The news of the death of many people in a road accident on Mirzapur Highway in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh is extremely sad. I express my condolences to the families of the deceased. I wish for the speedy recovery of all those injured.”
Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai also conveyed his sorrow over the incident, mourning the loss of devotees from Korba district who were on their way to Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.
“I am saddened by the news of the death of 10 devotees due to the accident of a vehicle full of devotees from Korba district, who were going to take a bath in Prayagraj Mahakumbh, in Meja area on Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway in Uttar Pradesh. Korba district administration has been instructed to make necessary arrangements by coordinating with the local administration. My condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray to God for peace to the souls of the departed devotees and to provide strength to the bereaved families,” Sai said.
7 Maha Kumbh devotees killed in MP's Jabalpur
On Tuesday, seven people returning from the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj lost their lives when their mini-bus collided with a truck near Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district, an official confirmed.
The pilgrims were reportedly travelling back to Andhra Pradesh when the accident occurred around 8.30 am.
According to district collector Deepak Kumar Saxena, the crash took place approximately 65 km from Jabalpur's district headquarters when a truck, driving on the wrong side of the highway, rammed into the mini-bus.
Eyewitnesses at the scene stated that the truck was moving in the wrong direction, causing a fatal collision that instantly claimed the lives of seven passengers, while several others remained trapped in the wreckage.
In a separate incident the same day, a collision between a truck and an auto claimed the lives of three people. The victims were also returning from the Maha Kumbh Mela when the crash occurred in the early hours of Tuesday near the Muthani area under the Mohania police station in Bihar’s Kaimur district.
(With inputs from K Sandeep Kumar in Prayagraj)
