At least eight people were killed and 22 others injured after a loading vehicle carrying migrant labourers collided head-on with a truck on National Highway 719 in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district late last night.
The accident occurred near Chhimka village under the Gohad Chauraha police station area around midnight. Police reached the spot soon after the collision and, with the help of locals, rescued the injured and shifted them to the Gohad health centre. Several critically injured victims were later referred to hospitals in Gwalior.
According to officials, the labourers were returning to their villages in Uttar Pradesh after working in paddy transplantation in Chinor village near Dabra in Gwalior district.
The workers, residents of Pachhgaon, Lakhimpur Kheri and nearby villages in Uttar Pradesh, were travelling in the loading vehicle when it collided with the oncoming truck near Chhimka village.
Stray cows suspected behind fatal crash
Preliminary information suggests that the accident may have occurred when the loading vehicle attempted to avoid cows sitting on the road. Both vehicles were reportedly travelling at high speed, resulting in a violent collision.
Five people died on the spot. After the injured were taken to Gohad hospital, several critically injured victims were referred to Gwalior, with three more reportedly dying on the way.
The impact was severe, leaving the loading vehicle badly damaged, particularly its front portion.
Gohad Chauraha police station in-charge Ramnaresh Yadav reached the spot with a police team and coordinated the rescue operation with local residents. Five ambulances were immediately dispatched to the site, while Dial 112 and Dial 108 services were used to transport the injured to the hospital.
Several victims remain in critical condition. Police are conducting a detailed investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led to the collision.
UP CM announces compensation
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
He directed officials to coordinate with the Madhya Pradesh government to ensure that the bodies of the Uttar Pradesh residents killed in the accident are transported to their respective native districts and handed over to their families.
The chief minister also directed that Rs 2 lakh in financial assistance be provided to the family of each deceased Uttar Pradesh resident and that the injured receive proper medical treatment.
Reported by Paranidhesh Bhardwaj
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