3 youths killed as car falls into ditch trying to save cow

Three youths in a car were killed after the driver swerved to avoid hitting a stray cow on the highway, causing the vehicle to plunge into a ditch in Guna district. The accident took place in the Ruthiyai area on Thursday night.The victims were identified as Rohit Srivastava (31), from Kasturba Nagar, and his two friends, Lakhan Sharma (35) and Ajju alias Ajay Chidar (28).The three had left Guna at around 11pm for Indore. After travelling about 20km, a cow appeared in front of their car on National Highway No. 46, just ahead of Ruthiyai. According to police, the car veered off the road while trying to avoid the cow. The vehicle collided with a culvert and plunged into a ditch. Emergency responders, including a highway ambulance and police from the Ruthiyai outpost, arrived at the scene to recover the bodies. All three youths were pronounced dead at the health centre. The vehicle was later retrieved by a crane.tnn