Bulandshahr: Twelve pilgrims, including three children, were killed and 20 injured after a mini-truck rammed a pickup truck they were travelling in on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Baghpat in the early hours of Monday.
The accident took place around 12.30 am near Bada Gaon toll plaza.
The impact sent the pickup into the road divider before it overturned and skidded for several metres, trapping passengers underneath, police said. One injured passenger said many people were asleep when the vehicle overturned. The pilgrims — all relatives from Alahpur village in Badaun district — were returning home after visiting Bagad Dham (Gogamedi) in Rajasthan . Passers-by and police personnel rushed to the spot after hearing cries for help and pulled the injured from the mangled vehicle before taking them to Khekra community health centre and Baghpat district hospital. Those in critical condition were referred to hospitals in Meerut and Delhi. The pickup had been fitted with mattresses that were being used as makeshift seats, with officers now investigating the alleged overloading of the vehicle and whether passenger-safety norms were violated.
Baghpat SP Suraj Rai said the bodies were sent for post-mortem and an investigation is on. “The mini-truck driver is absconding along with the vehicle,” Rai said.