PRAYAGRAJ: At least 14 people, including six children, were killed when a van carrying more than a dozen passengers collided with a truck in Prayagraj – Lucknow highway late Thursday night. The accident occurred near the village of Deshraj Ka Inara, under the limits of Manikpur Police Station from Pratapgarh District.
SP (Pratapgarh) Anurag Arya said the accident happened around 11:45 pm on Thursday when a van with 14 passengers collided with a truck and killed them all on the spot.
Arya added that initially the police had recovered five bodies and then a JCB was called in to remove the unfortunate SUV from under the truck. Subsequently, the police recovered nine more bodies from the truck.
Police said that of the 14 victims, six were between 7 and 15 years old, while the remaining eight people were between 20 and 60 years old.
The initial police investigation revealed that the truck driver had parked the vehicle on the side of the road to repair the flat tire. The driver of the truck was unable to control speed and collided with the truck from the rear.
Police said all the deceased were returning to their hometown of Jigrapur after attending a marriage function in Seikhwapur (Nawabganj).
Forces from five police stations have been deployed to carry out rescue operations. All the bodies were initially taken to the Kunda Community Health Center and later sent for an autopsy.
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