JAIPUR/JAISALMER: Eight people were killed and several others injured, including a newly-wed groom and a bride, in two separate incidents, after vehicles carrying wedding parties met with accidents in Rajasthan.
In the first incident in Jaipur, five people were killed and eight others seriously injured when a multi-utility vehicle carrying a wedding party collided head-on with a truck on the Dausa-Manoharpur highway near Bhatkabas village early Wednesday.
Among the deceased was the bride, 18-year-old Bharati from Mandoli village in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol. The others who died on the spot were Jeetu (33), Subhash (28), and Ravi Kumar (17). The identity of one more victim is being confirmed. The groom, Vikram Meena (25) from Udaipurwati, was critically injured.
The impact of the collision completely mangled the wedding vehicle, trapping the other occupants. Police and rescue teams carried out an intense operation to extricate the victims. The wedding party was travelling from Shahdol to Udaipurwati in Jhunjhunu when the accident occurred, leading to a major traffic disruption on the highway.
In another incident, reported from Jaisalmer, three people, including a newly-wed groom and an infant, were killed and four others injured when a vehicle rammed into their car near a village close to Pokaran late Tuesday night.
The deceased were identified as groom Lila Ram (45), his sister Mooli Devi (35), and nine-month-old Hitesh.
The wedding party, including bride Basanti and other relatives, was returning from Pokaran city after the couple's marriage earlier that day.
According to Head Constable Jaswant Singh, the driver of the unidentified vehicle fled the scene. The victims were rushed to a hospital wher,e three were declared dead. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
This was the second marriage for both Lila Ram and Basanti, police added.
Both accidents have cast a pall of gloom over the families involved, turning celebrations into mourning within hours.