10 dead as truck rams passenger van on Kheri highway

BAREILLY: Ten people were killed after a speeding truck collided head-on with an overcrowded mini-van on the Lakhimpur-Nanpara road in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Monday morning, police said.The van ferrying 10 passengers was heading toward Bahraich. Nine passengers died on the spot, while the 10th succumbed to injuries while being rushed to a community health centre. Nine victims have been identified, including Jaiveer Singh (25), Pawan Kumar, Sohan (21), Rajesh Goyal (45), Sahajram (35), and Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich; Adnan (19) and Juleikha (55) from Kheri; and Gayatri Vaishya (44) from Sitapur.Dhaurahra circle officer Shamsher Bahadur Singh said, “The truck driver fled. We have seized the vehicle and launched a manhunt to apprehend him.”Lakhimpur Kheri district magistrate Anjani Kumar Singh said, “Prima facie, the van tried to overtake another vehicle, changed lanes and collided head-on with the oncoming truck.”When questioned about the van being overcrowded, the DM said, “The van exceeded its legal capacity of seven passengers. Moving forward, we need to educate the public and will take strict enforcement action.”Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took cognizance of the accident and announced financial assistance for the victims’ families. In a post on X, the PMO stated: “Deeply pained to hear about the mishap in Lakhimpur Kheri. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”This road has seen several fatal accidents, with many crashes occurring within a 30-km stretch. On Sept 28, 2022, a total of 10 people died in a bus-truck collision on Aira Bridge. A few months later, on Jan 28, 2023, a speeding truck mowed down six bystanders near Nakha village. More recently, a van-bus collision on NH-730 claimed five lives on May 26, 2024. The trend continued into 2026, with four people dying in an auto crash on Feb 8, and five others killed in an auto-truck collision near Aira Bridge on May 7.(With inputs from Dharmendra Rajpoot)