Six, including five of family, killed as car rams into truck

A journey to perform the last rites of a loved one turned into a devastating tragedy early Wednesday when six persons, including five members of a family from Faridpur village in Karnal, were killed after their car rammed into a stationary truck near Titawi village in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

The family was going to Haridwar to immerse the ashes of 51-year-old Mahinder Juneja, who had died on September 21 following heart failure after a prolonged battle with cancer.

The deceased have been identified as Mahinder’s wife Mohini (45), elder son Piyush (22), brother-in-law Rajinder (60), sisters Vimmi (50) and Anju (46) and driver Shiva (23). Mahinder’s younger son Hardik (17) is undergoing treatment in a Panipat hospital.

“Two vehicles had left the village for Haridwar. The car carrying Mahinder’s ashes met with the accident, while relatives following in the second car rushed to help,” said Rajinder, elder brother of the deceased.

The accident occurred around 6 am when the car, travelling at high speed, collided with a truck parked on the roadside. Eyewitnesses said locals rushed to the spot after hearing the crash and pulled the victims out of the mangled vehicle. Five died instantly, while one woman succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.

A CCTV clip of the accident shows the car ramming into the truck without slowing down. Police suspect the driver, Shiva, who had returned from a pilgrimage to Himachal Pradesh the previous night, may have dozed off at the wheel.

The tragedy has plunged Faridpur village into mourning. Neighbours and relatives gathered at Mahinder’s residence, their cries echoing in grief. “Going to immerse ashes turned into a cruel twist of fate that wiped out an entire family,” said a villager, recalling the family’s long struggle with Mahinder’s illness.