HYDERABAD: Seven people from Hyderabad died on the spot in a road accident at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, at around 8.30 am on Tuesday when a truck hit the traveller bus they were in.
Two others were severely injured and are presently undergoing treatment at Medical College, Jabalpur.
All the nine male passengers were returning to Hyderabad after attending the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
Eight of them have been identified as residents of Raghavendra Nagar, Nacharam, Medchal-Malkajgiri, while another one hails from Rangareddy, Nacharam, police told TNIE.
The deceased have been identified as Anand Kansari, Shashi Kansari, Ravi Vaishya, T V Prasad, Mallareddy, Balakrishna Shri Ram and Raju; the two injured people are S Naveenacharya and V Santosh. The police said all nine passengers were relatives and friends.
As per the Jabalpur district administration, the accident took place near a canal between Mohla and Bargi villages. The truck was traveling on the wrong lane, from Jabalpur towards Katni, when it collided with the traveller bus. The bus was caught between the truck and the canal at the time of recovery.
Vipin Singh, Town Inspector (TI), Sihora, told TNIE, “The truck was loaded with cement when the incident happened on the bridge, where rescue work is going on at the moment. We are further investigating as to what led to the accident. At present, three teams have been formed.”
The truck bore a Madhya Pradesh registration number on the license plate whereas the bus had an Andhra Pradhesh registration.
Another official from Sihora police station said the truck driver fled the scene, adding that a case is yet to be registered.
Meanwhile, passersby came to the rescue of victims after the accident and pulled them out of the truck before police took up the rescue operations.
As per unconfirmed reports, another car right, which was behind the bus, was involved in the collision. All passengers reportedly survived owing to airbags inside the car.
In Maihar, two persons were killed and five others injured when an unidentified vehicle hit their SUV near Kanchanpur village on National Highway no.30 at around 4 am, Nadan Dehat police station in-charge KN Banjare said.
The sports utility vehicle (SUV) was returning to Indore from the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, he said.
All the injured persons were referred to the Satna district hospital after initial treatment in Amarpatan, the official said.
The two deceased have been identified as Manju Sharma (32) and Manoj Vishwakarma (42), he said.
Police were examining CCTV footage of the area to identify the offending vehicle, the official said.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep shock over the road mishaps.
The CM ordered officials to make arrangements to provide better medical treatment to the injured and take required relief measures.
(With inputs from PTI)