At least five people, including two children, were killed and 14 others injured in two separate road accidents in Uttar Pradesh late Tuesday night, police said.
In Ayodhya district, two passengers were killed and nine others injured after a Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus collided with a stationary trailer truck on the Lucknow-Gorakhpur National Highway near Zuberganj market shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
The Rapti Nagar depot bus was traveling from Lucknow to Gorakhpur when it collided with the parked trailer late at night, police said. The collision completely crushed the front part of the bus and many passengers fell from their seats.
Ronahi police, with the help of local residents, launched a rescue operation and extracted the passengers. The injured were transferred to a nearby hospital. Eight of them were discharged after receiving first aid, while one of them is undergoing treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Sabir (54), a resident of Pariyotar in Kushinagar district, and Suresh Kumar (43), a resident of Gomti Nagar in Lucknow. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.
Police said that preliminary investigations indicate that excessive speed may have been the cause of the accident. Efforts are underway to trace the tractor-trailer driver. Traffic on the highway remained blocked for some time before police restored normal flow.
No formal complaint has been received so far, and further legal action will be followed after a written complaint is submitted, Ronahi Station Officer (SHO) Lalchand Saroj said.
In another accident, three members of a family were killed and five others injured after their Scorpio four-wheel drive vehicle collided with a tractor trolley stationed on Ganga Expressway near Saloon in Rae Bareli area around 10:30 pm.
The family was traveling from Noida to Seelampur village in Jaunpur district to attend a Ramayan program when the accident occurred.
The deceased have been identified as Saroj Singh (60), her granddaughter Samriddhi Singh (7), and another family member, Sangeeta Singh (17). Among the injured are Gurcharan Singh (36 years old), Neeraj Singh (42 years old), Savita Singh (38 years old), Pratibha Singh (32 years old), and five-year-old Samarth Singh, whose condition is described as critical.
Police said the collision was so severe that the Scorpio’s car was badly mangled and all the passengers were trapped inside. Rescuers had to open the car’s doors to remove the injured passengers.
Police officers said the family is from Jaunpur district but resides in Delhi’s Saket area near Egno Road.
Preliminary results indicate that the car was traveling at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour when the driver suddenly noticed the tractor trailer parked on the highway and lost control of the car. The injured were initially taken to Sangramgarh Community Health Center in neighboring Pratapgarh district before being referred to AIIMS Rae Bareli.
