SUV rams into vehicles near Beas, 7 die

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 21

Seven persons, including five women, were killed when a speeding SUV hit an auto-rickshaw and a car parked on the roadside in the early hours at Beas today. Nine persons, including three children, were injured.

The deceased have been identified as Kamalpreet Kaur, Sewa Singh, Harbhajan Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur, Avtar Singh and Komalpreet Kaur. Another deceased woman is yet to be identified.

The injured include Jagjit Singh, Babbalpreet Kaur (4), Jaspreet Singh (6), Manjit Kaur, Gaganpreet Kaur, Ranjit Singh and Avtar Singh. A one-and-a-half year old child, also injured in the mishap, is yet to be identified.

Sources said the driver and another occupant of the SUV bearing registration number DL4C NB 7904 fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind.

The deceased belonged to Hoshiarpur. They were going to a religious dera at Beas. The police have registered a case and initiated investigations to identify the SUV occupants.

The police said when the victims reached near Beas, they parked their auto (PB 07 AS 8192) and car (HP 39 B 3340) on the roadside to have a meal at a dhaba near Umranangal turn. A tipper truck was taking a U-turn from the point when the speeding SUV coming from Jalandhar side could not locate it. The SUV driver took the vehicle to the left to avoid a collision with the tipper, but rammed it into the already parked auto-rickshaw and car.

Other major mishaps

March 26: Four persons killed in an accident involving three vehicles — a milk tanker, a jeep and a multi-utility vehicle — in Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda district)

April 7: Three students of a private school among four killed as school bus collides with speeding pick-up vehicle on Dasuya-Talwara road in Hoshiarpur district. The deceased included seven-year-old twins Anirudh and Surabhi.

May 14: Five persons, including two children, killed as car collides with a truck near Khatti village in Phagwara.