Punjab Newsline | Palwal (Haryana)
At least six pilgrims were killed and 14 others injured in a horrific road accident on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Haryana's Palwal district early Tuesday morning.
According to police, the accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. when a pickup vehicle carrying devotees crashed into the rear of a truck parked on the roadside. The impact was so severe that the pickup was completely mangled, trapping several passengers inside.
Injured devotees told authorities that the group was returning from a religious pilgrimage when the driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to lose control and slam into the stationary truck.
Passersby rushed to the spot after hearing the crash and alerted the police and emergency services. Rescue teams, along with local residents, worked to pull the victims from the wreckage before shifting the injured to the District Civil Hospital in Palwal.
Doctors declared six people dead on arrival. The deceased have been identified as Vijay Singh, Raj Kumar, Reshma Devi, Kamla Devi, Sudha, and Mahesh. The victims included three men and three women.
All the devotees were residents of Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh. They had left for a religious tour on Friday and had visited the Khatu Shyam Temple and Salasar Balaji Temple in Rajasthan on Monday before heading towards Mathura-Vrindavan when the tragedy struck.
The injured—identified as Sunil, Shweta Yadav, Veeresh, Umed, Vinod Kumar, Sarla, Ruby, Ramsevak, Ravi, Vani, Vinu, Tannu, Rekha, and Gora Devi—are undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident. Authorities are examining the exact circumstances of the crash, including whether driver fatigue was the primary cause of the accident.
