4 dead as car rams heavy vehicle on highway near Batala

Batala: Four men were killed after their car crashed into the rear of an unidentified heavy vehicle near a petrol pump on the national highway near Batala in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on Tuesday morning.The four were reportedly returning from Amritsar to Pathankot. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dr Mehtab Singh said the accident occurred near Naushera Majha Singh village around 4am. Eyewitnesses said they heard a loud explosion-like sound at the time of the crash. Rescue teams and police from the Naushera Majha Singh police outpost rushed to the site, but the severity of the wreckage hampered recovery efforts. Authorities used metal cutters, iron rods, and even a tractor to tear apart the mangled vehicle and retrieve the bodies. The operation took nearly one-and-a-half hours. Initial reports indicate all four victims were from Pathankot — two from Gharoli and two from Teacher Colony. Police identified one of the victims as Vikram alias Vicky (31), a resident of Teacher Colony, and an employee at a mattress showroom in Pathankot. Vikram is survived by his wife and two children. Police are working to identify the remaining victims. Police said Vikram spoke to his wife late Monday night, informing her he would return late in the morning and asking her to iron his clothes. According to relatives, Vikram had gone to Amritsar with friends two days earlier but had not given details about his companions. Preliminary findings suggest that the car was travelling at a speed of around 80 to 100 km/h. However, the exact circumstances surrounding the collision remain unclear, with police trying to identify the heavy vehicle, which did not remain at the site.