Kanpur: Six persons were killed and five others injured after an SUV carrying 11 people to a temple for a child’s ‘mundan’ ceremony was crushed between two trucks, overturned, and fell into a ditch in Unnao on Wednesday.
Accident Details
The accident occurred around 10:30 am on the Unnao-Rae Bareli route near Kiratpur village, approximately 50 km from the district headquarters in the Bihar police station area. A speeding SUV attempted to overtake a truck and collided with it. A second truck coming from behind then rammed the SUV, trapping it between the two vehicles. The SUV and the rear truck overturned and fell into a six-foot-deep roadside ditch.
Suraj Singh, a resident of Pathai village in Maurawan police station area, had scheduled the ‘mundan’ ceremony for his three-year-old son Shubh on Wednesday. A family of 10 set out in the morning in an SUV to reach Chandidevi temple in Baksar village.
Chain of Events
Police said the sudden collision reduced the SUV’s speed, after which it was hit by the truck coming from behind. The out-of-control SUV fell into a roadside ditch and toppled. Simultaneously, the driver of the truck behind lost control of the steering, and the truck also fell into the ditch, crushing the SUV.
The deceased were identified as Bittan (56), Geeta (35), Jyoti (27), driver Ramdhani Yadav (35), Sunita Singh (35), and Archana Bajpai (50). Five individuals, including two children, were in critical condition.
Official Response
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
After the incident, passersby and villagers rushed to the spot and informed the police. Reports indicated that bodies were piled up six feet below the road at the spot, and blood-soaked body parts were scattered around.
With the help of locals, police pulled the injured out of the mangled vehicle and sent them to the district hospital. During treatment, SUV driver Ramdhani along with two other women died. The truck driver and his assistant fled after the accident.
Those injured were Suraj Singh, his daughter Bharti, son Shubh Singh, Gauri (daughter of Durgesh Singh), and Bauwa (son of Kallu).
Police station in-charge Rahul Singh said the bodies were sent for post-mortem, and an investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.
