Four people were killed and another injured after a tractor-trailer swerved into the wrong lane and collided with their SUV in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district in the early hours of Friday, police said.
The fatal accident took place around 2 am near Sambalpuri village under Sakri police station limits on Raipur-Ratanpur highway, an official said.
He added that the trailer, which was heading towards Raipur, lost control, swerved into the wrong lane and collided with the SUV coming from the opposite direction.
The official said that the collision was so severe that it caused the heavy vehicle to collide with another parked trailer before it overturned.
He added that the accident led to a collision with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, trapping its five passengers, four of whom died instantly.
The official said that a police team rushed to the scene, and the victims were recovered from the wreckage using a gas cutter in a rescue operation that lasted two hours.
He said the deceased victims, identified as Chhatrapal Ratri (37), Vishal Lari (25), Anmol Lari (14), Sonu Mere (28), and the injured Prakash Ratri, were returning from a celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary in a nearby dhaba.
The sole survivor was seriously injured and is undergoing treatment at Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Bilaspur, the official said.
He added that the trailer driver was arrested, and a report was filed regarding the incident.
