MEERUT At least 12 people were killed and over 16 others injured when a pickup vehicle ferrying 32 devotees from Badaun overturned on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in UP’s Baghpat district around 1am on Monday after hitting a road divider.
The incident took place when the victims were returning from a pilgrimage to Bagad Dham in Rajasthan, said police.
The victims were shifted to the district hospital, where six were declared dead. Police, however, were investigating the circumstances and the exact cause of the crash. Baghpat district magistrate Asmita Lal and superintendent of police Suraj Rai visited the district hospital after receiving information about the accident. They met the injured and directed medical personnel to ensure that they received timely and proper treatment.
The accident occurred between Basi and Bada villages in the Khekra Kotwali area, around 15 km from Baghpat district headquarters. Four police response vehicles (PRVs) of Dial 112, ambulance services and personnel from the Khekra police station rushed to the scene after receiving information that a vehicle carrying 32 people had overturned and launched rescue and relief operations, said police.
Pal said the driver told passengers that a vehicle approaching from behind had collided with their vehicle, causing it to lose balance and overturn.
A doctor at the district hospital said 22 injured passengers were brought in for treatment, of whom 18 were referred to a higher medical centre in Meerut. Six more passengers later succumbed to their injuries at a medical college in Meerut, taking the death toll to 12. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the accident and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He directed officials to provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased and the injured.
