14 of marriage party killed as SUV crashes into stationary truck in UP's Pratapgarh

Lucknow/Pratapgarh, November 20

Fourteen people, including seven children, died when their SUV collided with a stationary truck on the Lucknow-Allahabad highway, around 70 km from Pratapgarh district headquarters, an official said on Friday.

The road accident took place on Thursday night when the victims were returning from a wedding in Nawabganj area of Pratapgarh, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Awasthi, said.

He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed senior officials to reach the spot and extend all possible help.

The chief minister also extended ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to each of those killed in the crash, Awasthi said.

Pratapgarh SP Anurag Arya said the speeding SUV dashed into the truck parked by the road in the Manikpur police station area after one of its rear tyres got punctured near Deshraj Inara.

While five bodies could be taken out initially, a JCB machine had to be used to pull out the SUV from under the truck to retrieve the remaining bodies, he said, adding that the bodies had been shifted to CHC Kunda and would be sent for autopsy later in the day.

It took almost two hours to pull the SUV out from under the truck, the SP said.

Arya, who visited the spot, said the police had spoken to the families of the victims and assured all possible help.

A report from the district police identified the deceased as Bablu (22), Naan Bhaiya (45), Dinesh Yadav (40) and his sons Pawan (10) and Aman (7), Ram Samujh (40), Daya Ram (40), Abhimanyu (28), Mithilesh (17), Gaurav (10), Ansh (9), Sachin and Himanshu (both aged 12), and driver Paras Nath Yadav (40).

All of them were residents of Jirgapur village in the Kunda police station limits and had gone to Shekhapur village to attend a wedding, the police said. PTI