Varanasi: 8 killed in road accident

Eight people, including four of a family, were killed in a road accident on the Varanasi-Lucknow highway in this Uttar Pradesh district on Wednesday, police said.

A nine-year-old boy was severely injured in the accident and is undergoing treatment, Station House Officer (SHO), Phulpur, Deepak Ranawat said.

The accident occurred in the Karkhiyav area under the Phulpur police station when the sports utility vehicle (SUV) of the victims collided with a truck, police said.

Four members of a family, two of another family, the driver of the SUV and another person were killed in the accident, they added.

Police had initially said all the victims belonged to the same family.

The victims were identified as Vipin Yadav (32), his mother Ganga Devi (48), Mahendra Pal (43), his wife Chandrakali (40), brother Damodar Prasad (35) and his wife Nirmala Devi (32), Rajendra (55) and driver Anand (24).

They were from Pilibhit district and had come to Varanasi on a hired taxi. The accident occurred when they were going toward Jaunpur.

The 9-year-old injured boy is the son of Damodar Prasad, the SHO said.

Mahendra Pal and his family had journeyed to Varanasi to perform the ritual of immersing the ashes of a deceased family member in the sacred Ganges River. Meanwhile, other individuals were in the area to pay their respects at the local temples. The police reported that the bodies have been dispatched for post-mortem examinations.