Six killed, two injured in car-truck crash in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki

Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh: Six people were killed and two others seriously injured when a car and a truck collided head-on in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday evening, officials said.

The incident occurred around 10 pm when the vehicles were on a bridge on the Kalyani river near Kutlupur village under the Deva police station limits. All the deceased were passengers of the car and residents of Fatehpur town.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the car, which did not have a number plate and appeared new, was mangled to the extent that a crane was used to remove it off the road.

Upon receiving information about the incident, police reached the spot and took the injured to a nearby community health centre and then to the district hospital. While four people died on the spot, two were declared dead at the hospital, officials said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and directed officials to reach the spot immediately and expedite relief work.

He also instructed officials that proper medical treatment be provided to the injured, a statement said.

District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, who reached the spot with Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya, said, "Six people died in the crash and the two who suffered serious injuries have been hospitalised." Tripathi said preliminary probe revealed that the car had entered the lane of the truck, which led to the accident.

SP Vijayvargiya said, "There were eight passengers in the car. Five men and one woman have died. Two others are injured." He said the passengers had taken the car on rent for an outstation trip and were returning to Fatehpur when the incident happened.

The identity of the victims was yet to be ascertained, an official said.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck was moving at a very high speed, and the driver apparently lost control upon seeing the oncoming car, leading to the fatal crash. Police said they have impounded the truck.

The incident caused traffic congestion on the bridge.

Additional Superintendent of Police, North, Vikas Chandra Tripathi, said preliminary investigation has revealed that both vehicles were speeding.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he said, adding the truck driver is absconding.