Jaipur | A pickup van crashed into a parked truck in Rajasthan's Dausa district in the early hours of Wednesday, killing 11 Uttar Pradesh residents, including seven children, and injuring eight others, police said.
The passengers of the pickup vehicle were returning to their village in Uttar Pradesh's Etah after visiting Khatu Shyam and Salasar Balaji temple when the accident occurred on Manoharpur highway around 4-5 am, Dausa Superintendent of Police Sagar told PTI.
Seven children and four women died in the accident, he said.
Dausa Deputy SP Raviprakash Sharma said the deceased have been identified as Mishthi (1), Babu (3), Poorvi (6), Lakshay (6), Vaishnavi (7), Mahak (7), Saloni (9), Sheela (20), Priyanka (25), Seema (25) and Sonam (32).
Twenty people were on board the pickup vehicle when it rammed into a stationary truck in the service lane of the highway, the SP said, adding that one of the eight injured is in critical condition.
Dr Anurag Dhakar from Jaipur's SMS Hospital, where some injured people were taken, said, “Around 10 injured, including three women and three children, were brought here. Of them, one woman, Seema Devi, died while her husband Manoj is in the ICU.” Three patients have suffered head injuries, while one of the three children is critical, Dhakar added.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, a stunned silence fell over Etah's Asrauli village as news came that 11 of its residents were killed in the road crash in Rajasthan. District Magistrate Prem Ranjan Singh, along with Senior Superintendent of Police and other officials, visited the bereaved families and assured all possible assistance.
Large crowds of leaders, well-wishers and locals gathered in Asrauli to console the grieving families.
"We have sent a team from Etah to Dausa to support the victims' relatives. The bodies will be brought back to Etah," DM Singh said.
In view of the tragedy, the Lodhi Mahasabha has postponed the Virangana Rani Avantibai Lodhi Shobha Yatra in Etah that was scheduled for August 16.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.
In a post on X in Hindi, the CM said, “The news of loss of life in a horrific road accident in Dausa is extremely tragic. The district administration has been directed to ensure prompt and proper treatment for the injured. May God grant a place at His divine feet to the departed souls and provide speedy recovery to the injured.” CM Sharma has instructed officials to ensure proper arrangements for the treatment of the injured.
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani also expressed deep sorrow over the tragic accident. He prayed for peace to the departed souls and wished for the speedy recovery of those injured, an official statement said.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and other leaders also express sorrow over the incident.
