11 killed, 40 injured as truck hits tractor-trolley carrying pilgrims in UP's Bulandshahr

Bulandshahr: Eleven people, including two minors, were killed and 40 injured when a truck rammed into a tractor-trolley carrying pilgrims in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district in the early hours of Monday, police said.

Among the injured who are hospitalised, 12 are also below the age of 18.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the demise of the pilgrims and directed officials to ensure the best treatment for those injured. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of those dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.

The accident took place around 2.10 am on the Bulandshahr-Aligarh border near the Arnia bypass, when the canter truck hit the tractor-trolley from behind, causing it to overturn, Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Singh said.

"The tractor-trolley was carrying 61 people, who were travelling from the Rafatpur village in the Kasganj district to Jaharpeer in Rajasthan for a pilgrimage," he said.

Police said 11 people have died in the incident, and added that 10 passengers escaped with minor injuries.

Earlier, the SSP said eight people died, while 43 of them are undergoing treatment. "Three of the injured are on ventilator support," Singh added.

Later, three more victims, identified as Lekhraj (40) and Umashankar (60) and Ramcharan (30), succumbed to injuries during treatment at hospitals, taking the toll in the incident to 11, police said.

The victims were taken to multiple hospitals for treatment -- 10 to Aligarh Medical College, as many to Bulandshahr district hospital and 23 to Kailash Hospital in Khurja. Umashankar died at the Aligarh Medical College, police said, adding that the bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem.

The other deceased were identified as tractor driver E U Babu (40), Rambeti (65), Chandni (12), Ghaniram (40), Mokshi (40), Shivansh (6), Yogesh (50) and Vinod (45), all residents of Kasganj district.

District Magistrate Shruti, along with SSP Singh and other senior officials, visited the spot amid drizzle and later interacted with the injured patients in a hospital.

According to a post on X by the chief minister's office, Adityanath has expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased.

"The chief minister has directed the district administration officials to immediately transport the injured to the hospital and ensure their proper treatment. He has wished for the speedy recovery of the injured," it added.

Police said the erring truck, which is registered in Haryana, has been impounded, and further legal proceedings have been initiated.

By afternoon, 18 of the injured persons were discharged after primary treatment at hospitals, the police said.

According to police officials, the trolley of the tractor had been modified into two decks to accommodate the large number of passengers.

The use of a tractor-trolley to ferry passengers is officially banned in Uttar Pradesh. In February 2024, 23 pilgrims died when a tractor-trolley carrying them overturned into a water body in Kasganj district of the state.