Barabanki, Nov 4 : A tragic road accident occurred near Bishunpur town on the Deva-Fatehpur road in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, leaving six people dead and two others seriously injured.

The accident took place on Monday night when a speeding truck collided head-on with an Ertiga car that was reportedly without a licence plate. The impact was so severe that the car was crushed, causing panic among onlookers.

The deceased have been identified as driver Shrikant Shukla, Pradeep Soni, his wife Madhuri Soni, and their son Nitin, all residents of Fatehpur town. One of the deceased remains unidentified. The injured have been identified as Naimish, the younger son of Pradeep Soni, and another unidentified person. All occupants of the Ertiga were returning home after taking a holy dip in the Ganges at Bithoor in Kanpur.

Upon receiving information, District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi and Superintendent of Police (SP) Arpit Vijayvargiya reached the accident site. Police personnel rescued the injured and rushed them to the district hospital by ambulance. Considering their critical condition, the victims were later referred to the Lucknow Trauma Centre for advanced treatment.

SP Arpit Vijayvargiya stated that preliminary investigations suggest the accident occurred due to overspeeding.

'Six people have been confirmed dead. The accident caused a massive traffic jam, which was later cleared after both vehicles were removed with the help of a crane,' he said.

Chief Medical Officer Awadhesh Kumar Yadav confirmed that the injured were initially treated at the local Community Health Centre (CHC) before being referred to Lucknow Trauma Centre.

SP Vijayvargiya added, 'There were eight passengers in the car. Five men and one woman have died, while two others are injured. The passengers had rented the car for an outstation trip and were returning to Fatehpur when the tragedy occurred. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and the truck driver is currently absconding.'

According to eyewitnesses, the truck was moving at a very high speed. The driver reportedly lost control upon spotting the oncoming car, resulting in the devastating crash. Police have since impounded the truck.

/IANS