Bahraich,

18 May (HS): Four people were killed and two more critically injured after a

speeding automobile collided with a combine harvester on the Bahraich-Nanpara

road in the early hours of Monday in Bahraich district. The collision occurred

at the Digwa petrol pump, which is within the jurisdiction of Matera police

station, around 30 kilometers from the district headquarters. According to

authorities, the combine harvester was stationed along the roadside and had

abruptly begun turning toward the road when a car approaching from the opposite

way collided with it head on. The incident caused the automobile to be

catapulted about six feet away and tumble into roadside shrubs. The front end

of the vehicle was completely twisted, the roof was pulled off, and the

seven-foot-long vehicle was crushed to almost four feet in length.

The

driver allegedly had a significant jaw injury. According to police, six

companions from Bahraich were traveling in a Tata Punch from Nanpara to

Bahraich when the accident occurred. Locals hurried to the scene after hearing

the loud accident, while the combine driver abandoned the vehicle and ran. Police

teams commanded by Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Srivastava, SP Rural

Durga Prasad Tiwari, and Matera SHO Harikesh Singh conducted a roughly half-hour-long

rescue effort. Officers struggled to extract the trapped passengers from the

blood-soaked wreckage. Four people perished on the spot: Ashwani Srivastava,

Altaf Ahmad, Anil Kumar, and Mahendra.

The

wounded, Vikas and Shivam Srivastava, were first carried to Nanpara Community

Health Centre before being transferred to the district hospital owing to their

serious condition. Police

officers themselves moved the remains to the morgue and ensured that the

injured were taken to the hospital. According to SP Vishwajeet Srivastava,

early investigations indicated that the accident was caused by a collision with

a combine harvester. He stated that additional inquiry was underway and that

legal action will be taken if needed. SHO Harikesh Singh said attempts were on

to locate the evading combine driver, and that judicial processes had been

launched.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi