JABALPUR: Nine persons returning from Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj were killed and five injured in two road accidents in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur and Maihar districts on Tuesday morning, officials said.
A truck collided with a mini-bus in Jabalpur, killing seven occupants of the passenger vehicle returning to Andhra Pradesh from Prayagraj (in Uttar Pradesh), Collector Deepak Kumar Saxena told reporters.
The incident took place at around 8.30 am near Sihora town, located 65 km from the district headquarters, he said.
The truck was heading on a highway from the wrong side, leading to the accident, eyewitnesses claimed.
Seven persons died on the spot, while several others were trapped inside the mini-bus, they said.
Following the accident, the collector and Jabalpur’s superintendent of police left for the accident site.
In Maihar, two persons were killed and five others injured when an unidentified vehicle hit their SUV near Kanchanpur village on National Highway no. 30 at around 4 am, Nadan Dehat police station in-charge KN Banjare said.
The sports utility vehicle (SUV) was returning to Indore from the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, he said.
All the injured persons were referred to the Satna district hospital after initial treatment in Amarpatan, the official said.
The two deceased have been identified as Manju Sharma (32) and Manoj Vishwakarma (42), he said.
Police were examining CCTV footage of the area to identify the offending vehicle, the official said.