SUV rams into parked truck, seven killed

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 18

Seven persons were killed as an SUV they were travelling in rammed into a truck parked outside a dhaba at Khalchian village on the NH-1, near here, on Monday.

Of the eight SUV occupants, only a five-year-old girl survived. She, however, sustained severe injuries.

The deceased have been identified as Arvind Sharma (36), his wife Savita Sharma (32), daughter Bhavya Sharma (14) and son Seevash Sharma (11), all residents of Uttam Nagar in Delhi, and Sunil (31), his wife Poonam (29) and son Viraj (3) of Jhajjar (Haryana). The five-year-old survivor has been identified as Iesta, daughter of Sunil.

Arvind and Sunil were close friends. They had gone to visit a shrine in Himachal Pradesh. On their way back to Delhi, Arvind was driving the vehicle. The incident took place around 5.30 am outside the dhaba. Its owner claimed that the truck driver had just parked the vehicle on the roadside when the speeding SUV rammed into it from behind.

The passerby and dhabha workers called the police and highway patrol staff. The SUV was badly damaged. The police and a medical team reached the spot. “Initially, we thought that all occupants were dead. Then a medical official found the girl alive. She was unconscious and rushed to a hospital,” the dhabha owner said.

Avtar Singh, SHO, Khalchian police station, said: “The bodies have been handed over to the families after post-mortem. For negligence in parking the truck, we have booked driver Jaspal Singh under Sections 283 and 304 IPC. He is absconding.”

Act against traffic violators: Capt

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh expressed grief over the incident. He instructed the district administration to ensure proper medical treatment of the survivor. The CM also asked the police to take strict action against traffic violators to ensure safe travelling on highways.