Saturday was a day of fatalities with as many as 68 people — including over 20 women and children — losing their lives in separate road accidents across India. Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh witnessed the maximum casualties in one road fatality with 22 pilgrims, including seven children, being killed when their vehicle fell off a bridge over Godavari River at Dowleswaram. The tragedy occurred as a group of pilgrims was returning in an SUV after a visit to the Tirupati temple, police said, adding the ill-fated travellers hailed from Achyutapuram near Visakhapatnam.
A boy, who sustained injuries, is the lone survivor of the mishap. He is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the pilgrims and termed the incident “saddening and unfortunate”.
In Uttar Pradesh, at least 19 passengers, including 12 women and five children, were killed and around 33 others injured when a speeding truck collided with two tractor- trolleys in Malawan area in Etah. The two vehicles were on their way to a canal for a ceremony related to Bhagawat puja which was being organised in Pura village, ASP RP Gupta said. Nine of the injured are critical.
UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced financial assistance of Rs2 lakh each to kin of those killed in the accident and Rs50,000 each to the injured. He also directed the officials to provide free treatment to the injured.
UP witnessed two other major accidents. While five people were killed when a State roadways bus collided head-on with a tractor trolley on Bulandshahr-Garh State Highway near Syana town, an identical number, all from one family, were killed and three children injured when a Jeep collided with a car in Pasgawan area in lakhimpur.
Punjab had its share of tragedy too, though a bit different but resulting from an accident on road. Five people were killed and nearly 200 others had to be hospitalised after inhaling hazardous fumes from an ammonia gas tanker leak in ludhiana. The incident occurred when the tanker got stuck under a flyover along a canal on the Doraha Bypass Road.
“Five people died from inhaling the gas and over 100 others complained of breathing problems. Those affected after inhaling the gas have been admitted to various hospitals in ludhiana. Barring 2-3 persons, all were stated to be out of danger by the doctors,” ludhiana Police Commissioner Pramod Ban said.
At present, of the 190 fallen ill around 110 people are still hospitalised while the remaining have been discharged. Punjab also saw the death of three persons and three others being injured in a head-on motobike collision in Kotha Kartar Singh area near Baghapurana.
In Jharkhand, four members of a marriage party were killed and 11 others were injured when a pickup van overturned near Gopidih in Seraikela-Kharswan district. The pickup van was carrying the members of the marriage party from Galudih near Jamshedpur to Bababamboo in the district when the mishap took place. In Gujarat, five persons, including a woman, were killed in two separate road accidents in Vadodara.
Meanwhile, one more person succumbed to burn injuries taking the death toll to 16, including eight minors, in the mishap on Friday in which a bus carrying a marriage party came into contact with a live electrical wire in Tonk. As many as 26 others were injured.