Punjab Newsline | Kurukshetra

At least four devotees lost their lives and several others were injured after a tractor-trolley carrying pilgrims overturned near Pindarsi village in Haryana's Kurukshetra district on Thursday.

According to reports, around 30 devotees from Kalal Majra in Sector-30, Kurukshetra, were travelling to Bagad Dham and Gogamedi Temple in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district when the accident occurred on the Kurukshetra-Kaithal road.

The mishap took place near the Pindarsi village bus stand when a trolley loaded with wood reportedly collided with the pilgrims' tractor-trolley during an overtaking attempt. The impact caused the vehicle carrying the devotees to overturn, trapping several passengers underneath.

Panic and chaos erupted at the scene as cries for help filled the area. Police, along with local residents, launched a rescue operation and pulled the injured devotees out of the overturned trolley. All victims were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital for treatment.

Doctors declared three women and a child dead on arrival, while several injured devotees are undergoing treatment in the hospital's emergency ward. The condition of two women is reported to be critical.

Eyewitnesses described the accident as horrific, stating that the tractor-trolley was extensively damaged in the crash.

The deceased have been identified as Leela Devi (58), Bala Devi (50), Bahoti Devi (60), Anjali (25), Anjali's one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Seerat, and another child. Leela Devi was a resident of Kalal Majra, while Bala Devi, a resident of Jundla in Karnal district, had reportedly come to visit relatives before joining the pilgrimage.

The bodies of Anjali and Seerat have been kept at Baran Community Health Centre (CHC), while the remaining victims were shifted to the mortuary at LNJP Hospital.

Following the accident, the road was strewn with devotees' belongings, including footwear, clothes, food items and soft drink bottles, reflecting the scale of the tragedy. Police have initiated further investigation into the incident.