UP: 8 KILLED, 2 HURT AS TRUCK RAMS INTO SUV

PRAYAGRAJ: Eight people were killed after a truck rammed and overturned on to a sports utility vehicle (SUV) parked on the roadside at an intersection in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh early on Wednesday, police officials said.

All the victims — four women, three children and the driver — were in the SUV.

Two people also sustained injuries in the accident and were undergoing treatment at a local hospital, they added. Two teenage girls survived after they jumped out of the SUV.

Confirming the death of eight people, district magistrate Amit Singh said initial reports suggested the truck driver lost control of his vehicle after a tyre burst. The mishap was being further investigated, he added.

The truck driver is absconding and police officials are trying to trace him, news agency PTI reported.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences and directed authorities to provide assistance to the families of the victims.

“He has expressed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the peace of the departed souls,” the chief minister’s office said in a statement

Ten members of three families were in the SUV, officials said. They had gone to attend the a wedding ceremony of one Pankaj Gupta at a marriage hall in Deviganj area of the district. All the deceased were said to be residents of the area.

Seven people died on the spot, while a woman died in a district hospital during treatment. The district magistrate also said all possible help will be provided to the family members of those killed in the accident. Superintendent of police Abhinandan said the bodies were taken out of the vehicle with the help of gas cutters and sent for postmortem.