Tragedy struck Shahjahanpur when rash driving by a Tata Magic driver resulted in thevehicle ramming into a stationary truck and causing death of 13 persons and injuries to three others at Unhauliya area in the wee hours of Saturday.
While the injured were rshed to hospitals, two children ha a providential escapoe and escaped unhurt in the mishap.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who earlier in the day flagged of a rally for road safety, expressed grief over the accident deaths and directed officials to initiate steps for ensuring all possible help and proper treatment to the injured.
Addition SP in Shahjahenpur, Ghanshyam told media persons that a van carrying 16 people dashed into stationary truck near Pape da Dhaba in Unhauliya on the Shahjahanpur-lakhimpur border around 5:30 am on Saturday.
Nine people died on the spot while seven others were severely injured. The injured were rushed to the district hospital where four of them later succumbed. The condition of three others was stated to be critical.
“Among the deceased, van driver Anup Awasthi (25)and cleaner Kishan (23) have been identifieid and efforts were on to identify the other deceased. But most of the deceased were from Shahjahanpur and Sitapur,” ASP said.
The van was going towards Shahjahanpur from Sitapur and prime facie it looks that cause of accident could be that tehd river dozed off on the wheel. Two children, aged three months and one year, had a miraculous escape. A case was registered and investigations are on.
Meanwhile in Basti, a private bus fell into a gorge leading to three deaths and injuries to 22 others on Saturday noon.
As per reports, the private bus was coming to Basti from Baberu when a biker suddenly appeared before t he vehicle. In a bid to save the biker, the driver swrved the vehicle after which is skidded into a a gorge at Aliha hamlet around afternoon. A middle aged woman and three other persons were killed in the mishap. The injured were immediately shifted to district hospital where the condition of three of them was critical. A case was registered and the bodies were sent for autopsy.
In one another accident reported from Muzaffarnagar, a woman was killed and 12 others seriously injured when a bus returning with a marriage party from Delhi, collided with a car, overturned and hurtled down a gorge near Bhangela in Khatoli police station area on Friday evening. The deceased was identified as Rekha. The injured were undergoing treatment at a local hospital.