Eight labourers were killed and 32 others injured after their pick-up vehicle collided with a dumper truck in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district early on Tuesday, police said.
The accident took place at around 1 am near Chhimka village on the Bhind-Gwalior National Highway, they said.
The labourers were returning to their village in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district after completing paddy transplantation work in Gwalior.
According to preliminary investigations, the driver lost control while attempting to avoid cattle sitting on the highway. The vehicle veered into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a dumper truck travelling in the opposite direction, Gohad Chauraha police station in-charge Ramnaresh Yadav said.
The collision severely damaged the vehicle, trapping several labourers inside. Five labourers died at the scene, while three others succumbed to their injuries while being taken to hospital. Thirty-two others were injured, the officer said.
Police reached the spot after being alerted and, with the help of local residents, rescued those trapped inside the vehicle.
All the injured were taken to a hospital in Gohad for first aid. Those with serious injuries were referred to Gwalior for further treatment, police said.
Kheri Superintendent of Police Khyati Garg confirmed the deaths and expressed grief over the accident.
She told PTI that six of the deceased had been identified as Updesh, Amar Singh, Sukhdev and Rajneesh, all residents of Bela Tursiya village in the Mohammadi area and aged between 30 and 45, along with 30-year-old Subhash of Harna Neoli village and 45-year-old Guddu of Kishanpur Ajit village in the Pasgawan area.
The identities of two other deceased labourers were yet to be established, she said.
Mohammadi police station SHO Umesh Chaurasiya said family members of some of the deceased and injured had reached the accident site.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the accident and announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the family of each deceased victim from the state.
In a post on X, Adityanath said the loss of lives in the “unfortunate” accident was deeply distressing and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
He said officials had been directed to coordinate with the Madhya Pradesh government to ensure that the mortal remains of the Uttar Pradesh residents killed in the accident were transported to their home districts and handed over to their families.
He also directed officials to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.
“Instructions have been issued to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the family of each deceased person from Uttar Pradesh,” Adityanath said.
(With inputs from PTI)