In a tragic accident, nine members of a family, including five minors, were killed and two others injured after a cement-laden trailer truck overturned onto their van in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. The accident occurred in the wee hours of Wednesday near the Sanjeli railway crossing in Meghnagar tehsil of Jhabua district, where the truck was crossing an under-construction rail over-bridge (ROB) via a temporary road and lost balance.
“The truck overturned and fell on their vehicle near Meghnagar. The incident occurred around 2.30-3 am late last night,” Jhabua Superintendent of Police (SP) Padmavilochan Shukla told reporters. Nine persons were killed and two others injured in the accident, he said. The victims belonged to two families and were returning from a marriage function in Bhavpura to their native Shivgarh Mahuda village under Meghnagar tehsil, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Mukesh Khaped (40), Savli Khaped (35), Vinod Khaped (16), Payal Khaped (12), Madhi Bamania (38), Vijay Bamania (14), Kanta Bamania (14), Ragini (9) and Akli Parmar (35), he said. The bodies were sent for post-mortem and the injured persons were referred to Thandla hospital for treatment.
The truck driver absconded after the accident, the official said, adding a case was registered and further investigation was underway.
According to officials, the victims were returning home from a marriage function when the accident took place. Police said all nine victims were travelling in the van that was crushed under the weight of the truck.
(With agency inputs)
