Varanasi,

21 Feb (HS): On Friday, a high speed cruiser vehicle full of devotees collided

with a parked truck on the Varanasi-Prayagraj highway near Rupapur under

Mirzamurad police station area. Six passengers travelling in the cruiser died

in the accident. Five passengers were injured. Police officials also reached

the spot after receiving information. The officials took the bodies into their

custody after sending the injured passengers to the hospital for treatment. All

the passengers were going from Karnataka to Prayagraj for bathing in the

Mahakumbh. The speed of the cruiser was so high that the head of a female

passenger sitting in the front was separated from the body. There were 13

people sitting in the cruiser jeep including the driver.

According

to eyewitnesses, the truck was parked on the Rupapur highway. Early in the

morning, a high speed cruiser jeep coming from Varanasi collided with the rear

of the truck. The collision was so severe that the front part of the cruiser

got stuck to the truck. A crane was called to separate the truck and the

cruiser. It is believed that the driver dozed off and this heart-rending

accident happened. According to police officers, Santosh Kumar (50) and his

wife Sunita (45), Lakshmi (49), Neelam alias Lalvati (55) and two others,

residents of Bidar, Karnataka, died in the accident. The injured include Khushi

(10), Kavita (48), Shiva Sai (15), Ganesh (14), Sulochana (50), Anita (50),

Sujata (32), residents of Vidur, Karnataka. After first aid at a nearby

hospital, the injured have been admitted to the BHU Trauma Center. Karnataka

Police has also been informed about the accident.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi