8 relatives killed as SUV rams truck on Jhansi-Kanpur highway

Kanpur: Eight relatives were killed and two critically injured early Monday when a speeding SUV rammed a stationary truck on the Jhansi-Kanpur highway in Jalaun. The group was returning to Lalitpur after offering prayers at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple.The accident occurred 55 km from the city near the Jolhupur turn in Kalpi town around 6 am, killing four people on the spot. The SUV’s front was badly damaged and the occupants were trapped inside. A video of the accident went viral, in which three men were seen trapped between the seat and dashboard.Police said preliminary probe showed the driver dozed off, causing the SUV to lose control. None of the devotees wore seat belts, so the airbags did not deploy, police said. Police used a gas cutter to cut open the car door and pulled out the injured.Police said two others died in a hospital in Jalaun. Four seriously injured people were referred to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur, where two more succumbed to injuries.According to reports, Shashikant Tiwari, 49, of Mahroni, Lalitpur, had gone to Ayodhya for darshan with his relatives. Ten people were in the SUV.District magistrate Rajesh Kumar Pandey said the devotees from Mahroni had attended the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram-Janaki Mandir on April 30, where some idols were damaged. On May 2, a group of 10 devotees came to Ayodhya to immerse the idols in the Saryu as per rituals. They offered prayers at Ram Mandir and Hanumangarhi and were returning to Lalitpur when the accident took place.The deceased were identified as Shashikant, Krishnakant Nayak, Deepak Tiwari, Swami Prasad Tiwari, Manoj Bhondle, Deshraj Namdev, Umesh and Brajbhushan. The injured included Harimohan, Anshul and Bhushan Tiwari.