Kaushambi: Eight people, including five women and three children, were killed after a pickup truck carrying devotees rammed into a stationary trailer truck on a national highway here on Friday, police said.
The accident occurred around 4 pm near the Doroma petrol pump in the Saini area.
The vehicle, travelling from Prayagraj to Fatehpur, crashed into a trailer truck parked on the roadside, a local police officer said.
The victims, residents of the Jahanabad-Bindki area in Fatehpur district, were returning home after visiting the Maa Sheetla shrine at Kada Dham. They had earlier travelled to Prayagraj to attend a child's tonsure ceremony, police said, adding that the injured beklonged to the same family and their relatives.
Around two dozen devotees, including women and children, were travelling in the pickup truck at the time of the incident, the official added.
Additional Director General of Police (Prayagraj Zone) Jyoti Narayan, who also reached the accident site, confirmed to PTI that eight people died in the crash, while several others sustained serious injuries.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic, with injured passengers lying on the highway and calling for help. Locals rushed to the spot and alerted authorities.
Police, along with emergency teams, launched rescue operations and deployed multiple ambulances to shift the injured to a nearby Community Health Centre.
Superintendent of Police, Kaushambi, Rajesh Kumar, said the injured were promptly taken to the hospital and their condition was stated to be stable after treatment.
An official associated with the health department said more than 20 injured persons were brought to the facility, some with fractures, while several were referred to the district hospital for advanced treatment. A few victims succumbed to injuries while being taken to the hospital, the official said.
Traffic on the highway was briefly disrupted following the accident, but was later restored. Police have initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the crash.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
He also announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured, while directing authorities to ensure proper medical treatment for all those hurt.
