At least 15 people lost their lives and 36 others sustained injuries in two separate accidents in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.
While eight persons were killed and 11 injured when their vehicle collided with a mini-goods carrier on Moradabad-Agra national highway in Sambhal, seven people were killed and 25 injured when a bus collided with a truck in Fatehpur on Wednesday morning.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives in the road accidents and conveyed his condolence to the members of the bereaved families.
He also directed officials to ensure adequate treatment to the injured persons, according to a statement issued by the government.
In the first case, Superintendent of Police in Sambhal, Yamuna Prasad, said the accident took place late Tuesday night near Lehrawan village when the victims were returning home after attending a wedding ceremony.
The injured were hospitalised and the bodies were sent for post-mortem, the SP said.
The deceased were identified as Dinesh (38), Hotilal (60), Brijesh (10), Ramveer (45), Hari Shankar (60) (all natives of Bahjoi in Sambhal), Ram Kumar of Budaun, Pawan (9) hailing from Rampur and Sher Singh (25).
Among those critically injured were Panshu, Aman, Jai Prakash, Kusumveer, Ajai, Rinku, Chandrapal, Prince, Somesh and Mukesh.
In the Fatehpur incident, Additional Superintendent of Police Pooja Yadav said the accident took place at the Bilari-Kaunh turn under Chaandpur police station area.
“In the collision between a private bus and a truck, at least seven persons lost their lives, while 25 others sustained injuries. The injured have been hospitalised for treatment,” Yadav said, adding that the identity of the victims was being ascertained.
Police officials fear that the toll may go up. The bus was going from Fatehpur to Jahanabad when it met with accident.
In another mishap reported from Banda, two members of a family were electrocuted to death after coming in contact with a high-voltage wire that fell on their house, police said on Wednesday.
Pappu Khan (47) and his son, Safiq (17), were sleeping outside their house in Badegaon village when the overhead wire fell on their house late on Tuesday night, Naraini Circle Officer Kuldeep Gupta said.
The two died on the spot, while five others received minor burns.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident reported from Muzaffarnagar, three children were seriously injured in an explosion in a garbage heap in Purbalyan village, police said on Wednesday.
The blast took place when the kids were playing near the garbage heap on Tuesday evening in the village under Mansur police station.
According to preliminary investigation, some waste from a firecracker factory was also in the garbage heap which led to the explosion, police said.
The injured children were rushed to a nearby hospital.