10 dead after vehicle carrying pilgrims falls into ditch

Pilibhit (UP): Ten pilgrims, including two children, died after their vehicle overturned and fell into a roadside ditch in the Gajraula area here Thursday morning, police said.

Seven people were injured in the incident, they said. The vehicle was carrying 17 pilgrims from Haridwar and was heading towards Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh when it met with the accident on the Lucknow highway at around 4 am. It seems the driver dozed off and lost control over the vehicle, police said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed the officials to ensure proper relief and rescue work. According to police, eight people died on the spot, while two others succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

"Around 17 people were travelling in the vehicle. The dead include three children, three women and four men, including the driver," Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Amitabh Rai said.

He said three of the injured have been referred from the district hospital to Bareilly. The deceased have been identified as Laxmi (28), Rachna (28), Sarla Devi (60), Hersh (16), Khushi (2), Sushant (14), Anand (3), Lalman (65), Shyamsundar (55) and driver Dilshad (35), police said.