Hapur (UP): Nine persons, including eight children, were killed and 15 others were injured when a pickup van collided with a mini-truck in Hapur district, police said Monday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to provide all possible help and treatment to the injured.
The accident took place around 11.00pm Sunday near Sadikpur village under Hafizpur police station limits. The victims were returning to their village Salepur Kotla in the pickup van after attending a marriage on Bulandshahr road, police informed.
The mini-truck coming from the opposite direction collided with the van which was carrying 20 children. The impact of the accident was so severe that the van was torn apart and its occupants were thrown out on the highway. The truck driver fled the spot after the incident, police stated.
The injured were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared nine people, including eight children, dead. Another 15 injured are undergoing treatment. However, there is a possibility that the toll may rise as the conditions of four are said to be critical.
Six of the deceased children have been identified as Aksha, Sufiyan, Anas, Gayyur, Shifa and Abdul Rehman. Police said the children were in the age group of eight to 14 years, while the other deceased is a 20-year-old man.
Hapur District Magistrate (DM) Aditi Singh said a letter will be send to the administration seeking financial assistance to the families of the deceased.
PTI