15 DIE AS TRUCK FALLS INTO CANAL
Fifteen people were killed and at least 27 injured after a truck fell into a roadside canal in Etah early on Friday morning.
The accident took place between 3:30 and 4 am near Sarai Neem in Jalesar area, when the truck, carrying people who had gone to an engagement ceremony, was returning from Nagla Lal Singh in Jalesar . All passengers were from Nagaria village under Doki police station of Shamshabad in Agra district.
Senior superintendent of police Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj confirmed the death toll. The truck broke through the roadside railing and fell into the shallow drain which had about 2 feet of water. Preliminary investigation indicated that the driver, who is among the deceased, might have fallen asleep at the wheel while driving, since there were no signs of a collision, nor was any vehicle nearby. The Etah district magistrate also arrived at the spot. The injured have been taken to SN Hospital in Agra and the Etah district hospital. Meanwhile, shock and disbelief gripped Nagaria village as news of the accident reached there. Ram Sahai, the uncle of the girl to be married told police that they had gone for engagement of Kalpana, daughter of Prem Singh of village Nagaria in Agra.“About 80 relatives of the bride’s family had gone in two vehicles to the bridegroom’s house in Etah,” he said. They left at 2 am but the truck broke the roadside railing at about 3.30 am on Friday.
The engagement of the girl has been postponed as the victims are from different houses in the same village. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the kin of each of those killed in the accident .The funds would be released from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Condoling the deaths in the accident, chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath has announced financial assistance of ₹ 2 lakh to kin of each of those killed.