At least eight people were killed and 17 others injured after a tempo traveller carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan’s Khatu Shyam temple broke through a road divider and plunged nearly 20 feet into a seasonal drain along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Kota district on Saturday morning, police said.
The authority further stated that emergency response teams were mobilised immediately after the accident was reported. The bodies of the eight victims have been brought to Kota and kept in the mortuary. The impact severely damaged the front portion of the vehicle, leaving several passengers trapped inside. Villagers and passersby rushed to the spot and began helping the passengers. Police personnel, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) rescue teams and emergency ambulance services subsequently joined the operation. Following the accident, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla visited the hospital and met the injured passengers. Taking serious note of the incident, Birla directed the Kota District Collector and Superintendent of Police to constitute a special investigation committee to examine the circumstances that led to the crash.
Police officers said the tempo traveller was carrying around 25 passengers, most of whom were residents of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh.
Police said all the deceased and injured are believed to be relatives or family friends. Police suspect that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, although the exact cause of the accident is yet to be established, officers said. An NHAI crane was deployed to retrieve the badly damaged vehicle from the drain, officers said. He said further action would be taken based on the committee’s findings.
They had left Betul on Friday night to visit the Khatu Shyam temple in Reengus, Sikar district.
Seven of the deceased have been identified as Aruna, Vaishnavi, Trisha, Krishna, Anita, Om Suryavanshi and Raju, while the identity of the eighth victim is yet to be established. The injured include Hemlata Gaikwad, Ajay, Vanshika, Monisha, Chitresh, Saransh, Chetan, Krishvi, Vaidhi, Neelu, Santosh, Varsha and Kamlesh. A total of 17 passengers were reported injured in the accident, although only some have been identified so far.
