Five people died on the spot while six were injured when the van they were travelling in collided with a truck at Nanakmatta in Udham Singh Nagar. According to sources, the people involved in the mishap were coming back from Poornagiri temple when the accident took place. The victims are believed to be residents of Uttar Pradesh.
A total of 11 persons were returning from Poornagiri temple in a Maruti Omni van when their vehicle collided with a truck carrying sand in Nanakmatta area on Monday evening. The collision was so severe that five of the persons died on the spot while others sustained serious injuries. It is being stated that as the van approached Sundarnagar village, the vehicle appeared to have become imbalanced and collided with a truck carrying sand approaching from the direction of Sitarganj.
The locals who witnessed the mishap began rescue attempts and after the police reached the site, with the help of the locals, the bodies were extracted from the wreck and the injured taken to hospital. The team of doctors decalred five of the persons dead while six others were administered primary treatment and then referred to a higher centre in Khatima.
In Khatima, the doctors administered treatment and considering the serious condition of the injured, referred three of them to the Sushila Tiwari medical college hospital in Haldwani. Those who died in the mishap have been identified as the driver Sonu, Rekha, Mukesh, Seema and Anushka, all residents of Sunarkheda, Uttar Pradesh.
The truck driver ran away from the site after the mishap which saw the front wheels of the truck coming off.