UP Road Tragedies: Family of Five Returning From Vaishno Devi Killed in Bulandshahr Crash, Two Dead in Chitrakoot Highway Collision
Bulandshagar/ Chitrakoot: Two devastating road accidents in Uttar Pradesh claimed the lives of seven people on Friday, including an entire family returning from a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi.
The back-to-back tragedies in Bulandshahr and Chitrakoot have left families shattered and once again highlighted the growing concern over fatal highway accidents in the state.
Family of five killed in Bulandshahr accident.
A horrific accident took place on National Highway 34 near Bhasauli Cut in the Kotwali Dehat area of Bulandshahr on Friday afternoon, when an allegedly uncontrolled truck ran over a motorcycle carrying an entire family.
All five members of the family — husband, wife and their three young children — died on the spot.
The deceased were identified as 45-year-old Uttam Kumar, his wife Urmila, their eight-year-old son Nishant, six-year-old daughter Disha and four-year-old daughter Anayra.
The family belonged to the Dhameda Kirat village in the Kotwali Nagar area of Bulandshahr.
According to family members, Uttam Kumar worked with a finance company and had recently travelled with relatives to the shrine of Vaishno Devi Temple for दर्शन (pilgrimage).
After returning from the pilgrimage, Uttam reportedly borrowed a motorcycle from a relative in Khurja and left with his family for their village on Friday.
Police officials said the accident occurred near Bhasauli Cut when the motorcycle allegedly collided with a truck moving ahead on the highway. The impact proved catastrophic.
The truck crushed the bike, and all five family members sustained fatal injuries. None of them survived.
The scene on the highway turned heartbreaking within minutes as residents gathered around the mangled motorcycle and bodies lying on the road.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Singh reached the spot along with police personnel soon after the accident was reported.
The bodies were later sent for post-mortem examination.
Police officials recovered the number plate of a Haryana-registered truck from the accident site and launched an intensive search operation to trace the vehicle and its driver.
“The front portion of the motorcycle was completely damaged. We recovered the number plate of a Haryana-registered truck from the scene, and teams are conducting checks to locate the vehicle,” SSP Dinesh Kumar Singh said.
The tragedy has devastated the family and the residents of the village. A large number of relatives and villagers gathered outside the post-mortem house after hearing the news.
Adding to the emotional trauma, family members said Uttam and Urmila had left behind their youngest son, two-year-old Riyansh, with his grandparents in the village while travelling for the pilgrimage.
The child is now the only surviving member of the immediate family.
Two killed in Chitrakoot highway collision.
In another deadly accident on Friday morning, two people lost their lives,s and two others were seriously injured after a truck collided head-on with a DJ vehicle on the Jhansi-Mirzapur National Highway in the Raipura police station area of Chitrakoot.
The accident occurred near the Maiki Mor petrol pump around 5 am.
According to police, a wedding procession from Chandai village in the Mau police station area had gone to Budha Semarwar on Thursday.
A local DJ operator, 30-year-old Kamlesh from Deura village, had taken his DJ vehicle to the event.
He was accompanied by his nephew Raj Kumar, 20, a resident of Chhivlaha, along with Ramchandra, 26, and Lalit, 18.
After the wedding ceremony ended, the four men were returning home with the DJ vehicle in the early hours of Friday when a speeding truck coming from the Prayagraj side allegedly rammed into them directly.
The collision was so severe that all four occupants suffered critical injuries.
After crashing into the DJ vehicle, the truck overturned on the roadside. The driver somehow managed to climb out of the damaged vehicle and fled from the spot before police arrived.
Local villagers informed the police, following which Raipura Station House Officer Ram Singh and Sub-Inspector Akhilesh Yadav reached the site with a police team.
With the help of villagers, police personnel rescued the injured men trapped inside the wrecked DJ vehicle.
All four victims were rushed by ambulance to the Community Health Centre in Ramnagar. However, doctors declared Ramchandra and Raj Kumar dead on arrival.
Kamlesh and Lalit, who sustained serious injuries, were later referred to the district hospital for advanced treatment.
Police officials said efforts are underway to identify and arrest the absconding truck driver.
“The accused driver will be arrested soon. A search operation is ongoing,” the station chargee said.
The two tragic accidents within hours of each other have once again raised concerns about speeding trucks, highway safety and reckless driving on national highways across Uttar Pradesh, where fatal road accidents continue to claim lives with alarming frequency.
