Sant Kabir Nagar, 27 July (HS): On Monday morning, a speeding vehicle went off the Basti-Khalilabad highway and smashed into a house in Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabir Nagar district, killing four family members, two of whom were children. Before flipping and colliding with the house, the vehicle drove over family members sitting on cots outside. The collision occurred at 5.30 a.m. near the Kurthiya crossing under Kotwali Khalilabad police station, roughly 15 kilometers from the district headquarters. According to authorities, the truck was traveling from Khalilabad to Basti when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle. According to preliminary findings, the driver may have fallen asleep behind the wheel, leading the truck to leave the highway, swerve into the wayside, and proceed for over 30 metres, crushing the family before flipping.
The deceased were identified as Lalji (62), his wife Gyanmati (60), and their grandchildren Adarsh (12) and Satyam (6). According to police, Lalji's two-room residence stands beside the highway and has a tin shack in front. The elderly couple were sitting on a cot beneath the shed when their grandsons, Adarsh and six-year-old Satyam, who had just awoken, joined them just moments before the catastrophe occurred. Satyam, Rajesh's son and a native of Pakri Araji village under Dudhara police station, had only arrived at his grandparents' residence two days before. According to reports, the truck's rapid speed left the family with little time to respond. It plowed over the cot, crushed all four victims, and slammed into the home, causing terror across the neighborhood.
When homeowners heard a loud collision, they hurried to the scene and called police. Senior police personnel, including the Additional Superintendent of Police, Circle Officer, Station House Officer, and Traffic Inspector, responded to the accident scene. A crane was brought in to lift the wrecked vehicle, and individuals trapped below were rescued out.
All four were brought to the hospital by ambulance, where physicians pronounced them dead. The bodies have been transferred for postmortem inspection, and further legal processes are planned. The truck driver and a helper left the scene and are still missing. Police have initiated a hunt to locate and apprehend them.
Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister expressed his sadness over the loss of lives and extended his sympathies to the deceased family. He asked district officials to ensure that any injured individuals get adequate treatment, that authorities offer all possible help to victims' families, and that the injured recover quickly.
Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi
