APICK UP van crashed into a parked truck in Rajasthan’s Dausa district in the early hours of Wednesday, killing 11 Uttar Pradesh residents, including seven children, and injuring eight others, police said. The passengers of the pickup vehicle were returning to their village in Uttar Pradesh’sEtah after visitingKhatuShyam and Salasar Balaji temple when the accident occurred on Manoharpur highway around 4-5 am,DausaSuperintendent of Police Sagar told PTI. Seven children and four women diedin the accident, he said. DausaDeputy SPRaviprakashSharma said the deceased have been identified asMishthi(1),Babu (3),Poorvi (6),Lakshay (6), Vaishnavi (7), Mahak (7), Saloni (9), Sheela (20), Priyanka (25), Seema (25) and Sonam (32). Twentypeoplewereonboard the pickup vehicle when it rammedinto astationary truck in the service lane of the highway, the SP said, adding that one of the eight injured is in critical condition. Dr Anurag Dhakar from Jaipur’s SMS Hospital, where some injured people were taken, said, “Around 10 injured, including three women and three children, were brought here.

 

Of them, one woman, Seema Devi, died while her husband Manoj is in the ICU.” Threepatientshave suffered head injuries, while one of the threechildreniscritical,Dhakar added. Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, a stunned silence fell over Etah’s Asrauli village as news came that 11 of its residents were killed in the road crash in Rajasthan. District MagistratePremRanjanSingh, along with Senior Superintendent of Police and other officials, visited the bereaved families and assured all possible assistance. Largecrowdsofleaders,wellwishers and locals gathered in Asrauli to console the grieving families.

 

“We have sent a team from Etah to Dausa to support the victims’ relatives. The bodies will be brought back to Etah,” DM Singh said. In view of the tragedy, the Lodhi Mahasabha has postponed the Virangana Rani Avantibai Lodhi Shobha Yatra in Etah that was scheduled for August 16. Rajasthan Chief MinisterBhajanlalSharmahas expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. In a post on X in Hindi, the CM said, “The news of loss of life in a horrific road accident inDausaisextremely tragic.The district administration has beendirected toensureprompt and proper treatment for the injured.May God grant a place atHis divine feet to the departed souls and provide speedy recovery to the injured.” CM Sharma has instructed officials to ensure proper arrangements for the treatment of the injured.