LUCKNOW: In a major road tragedy, eight people lost their lives when an out-of-control speeding car ran over a group of people standing on the road to help two bikers who had collided and were injured in Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
According to police, the accident occurred near Ashrafpur Bhuwa Brick Kiln in Jalalpur, about 30 km from the district headquarters. Two motorcycles had earlier collided, leaving two persons injured. As locals gathered at the spot to assist them, a speeding car ploughed into the crowd, triggering chaos and panic.
People from nearby villages rushed to help the injured and attempted to take them to hospital. Police, with the help of locals, shifted the injured to CHC Jalalpur, where doctors declared six people dead on arrival. Two others were referred to the district hospital after first aid and later shifted to Tanda Medical College, where they also succumbed to their injuries.
The deceased have been identified as Kaifi (32), Uttam Kumar (24), Aditya Kumar (25), Lalchand (24), Raju Gupta (32), and Chhotu, all residents of Ambedkar Nagar. Two victims are yet to be identified.
The car driver fled the scene, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest the accused, a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, another tragedy struck early Monday morning, claiming six lives and leaving four injured in a separate road accident in Jalaun district of Bundelkhand.
According to police sources, the mishap took place near Jolhoopur crossing under the Kalpi police station area when the driver of a car returning from Ayodhya to Orai dozed off and rammed into a vehicle ahead from behind.
The vehicle was carrying members of a family, including Shashikant Tiwari, a resident of Mahrauni in Lalitpur district, who was returning after visiting the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Around 6 am, the driver reportedly lost control after dozing off, leading to the collision.
The impact was severe, with four people dying on the spot and two others succumbing to injuries during treatment.
According to local sources, 10 members of the family- including Shashikant Tiwari, Krishnakant Tiwari, Deepak Tiwari, Harimohan Tiwari, Bhushan Tiwari, Anshul Tiwari, Swami Prasad Tiwari, Manoj and Deshraj Tiwari- were travelling in the car.