Gurpreet Singh :- At least 10 people were killed in a horrific road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district on Wednesday night after a High Speed truck rammed into two cars, triggering a massive fire that engulfed the vehicles. Nine occupants of the cars were burnt alive, while the truck’s cleaner also lost his life in the incident.
According to officials, the accident took place near the Barka Ghuman turn under the Drummondganj police station limits. A Bolero and a Swift Dzire car were travelling behind a trailer coming from the Madhya Pradesh side when a speeding truck loaded with gram crashed into them from behind. The impact pushed both cars into the trailer ahead, following which they caught fire within moments.
Eyewitnesses said the occupants of the vehicles cried for help as flames rapidly spread, but the intensity of the fire left no scope for rescue. Eight persons, including two women and two children, were travelling in the Bolero, while the Swift Dzire had only the driver. All nine occupants were charred to death. The truck’s cleaner also died, while the driver sustained serious injuries.
Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot after receiving information and managed to douse the flames after considerable effort. The accident led to massive traffic congestion on the Varanasi-Rewa highway, with long queues of vehicles stranded for hours.
Authorities have sent the charred bodies for post-mortem examination, while efforts are underway to ascertain the identities of the victims. A detailed investigation into the cause of the accident has been initiated.
