3 killed, 7 hurt as overcrowded minivan crashes while dodging pothole

Pilibhit: Three people were killed and seven others injured after an overcrowded minivan collided head-on with another vehicle while attempting to avoid a large pothole on National Highway-74 (Bareilly-Haridwar) near Shivpuri village in Pilibhit around 1 am on Saturday.Police said the minivan, registered in Bareilly, was carrying 10 passengers from Bareilly to Pilibhit at the time of the accident. The impact left the vehicle mangled, trapping passengers inside. The driver of the minivan, along with the other vehicle involved, fled the scene.The victims include Ajit Patel (26) and Rajat Kumar (25), both residents of Pilibhit, and Sanjay Kumar (32) from Varanasi. Police said Patel, who was scheduled to be married on May 1, succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to Delhi after initial treatment at Autonomous State Medical College (ASMC), Pilibhit. The other two victims were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.ASP Vikram Dahiya said one passenger, Vikky (20), is under treatment at the hospital while six others with minor injuries were discharged after receiving preliminary care. He added that an FIR will be lodged once a written complaint is filed and efforts are underway to trace the unidentified vehicle.Assistant regional transport officer Virendra Singh said action is being initiated to suspend the minivan’s registration and the driver’s licence for overcrowding. “A notice has been issued to the vehicle owner, directing him to produce the absconding driver before the police. Failure to do so will lead to the presumption that the owner himself was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident,” he said.