Many killed, several injured as SUV rams into parked truck in Bihar's Sasaram

Seven members of a family were killed and five others injured as an SUV crashed into a trailer truck that was parked on the roadside in Bihar's Rohtas district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

The accident happened on National Highway 2 in Shivsagar area of Sasaram town around 4 am, they said.

The family was returning from Rajrappa temple in Jharkhand when the accident happened, they added.

Besides the driver, there were 11 others travelling in the SUV, which was allegedly speeding. Police said they suspect that the driver lost control of the vehicle because of the high speed.

The deceased were identified as Rajmati Devi (55), her daughter Soni Kumari (35), her son-in-law Arvind Sharma (40), her grandchildren Aditya Kumar (8) and Riya Kumari (9). Also, Tara Kumari (22), who is the niece of Arvind, and one Chandani Kumari (15) were killed in the accident, police said.

The injured were admitted to a nearby hospital, they said, adding that the family was from Kaimur district.

"The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examinations. Police have taken possession of the two vehicles involved in the accident," said Rakesh Gosai the Station House Officer (SHO) of Shivsagar.