Jaisalmer: Three persons, including a patient, were killed and two others were seriously injured after a private ambulance collided head-on with an Indian Army vehicle on National Highway-62 near Suratgarh in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district Sunday morning, police said.The accident occurred near 22 LGW in the jurisdiction of Suratgarh Sadar Police Station. The impact of the collision was so severe that the ambulance was completely mangled, triggering panic among motorists and temporarily disrupting traffic on the highway.Police and local residents launched rescue operations after receiving information about the accident. The injured were rushed to the Suratgarh Government Hospital for initial treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were shifted to the hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.Police identified those killed at the scene as Mahendra Kaur, Laxmi, and Satnam, all residents of 5-B Koni village under the Hindumalkot police station area in Sri Ganganagar district. At the time of the accident, the private ambulance was carrying Mahendra Kaur (56), wife of Krishna Singh, who was battling cancer, along with her sons Satnam Singh (26) and Ram Prakash (32), her daughter Lakshmi Devi (26), wife of Krishnalal, and ambulance driver Rajveer.They were travelling back to Sri Ganganagar from Jaipur after completing her treatment when the accident occurred.The injured were identified as Rampratap and ambulance driver Rajveer. They were later referred to the District Hospital in Sri Ganganagar for advanced treatment, and their condition was reported to be serious.Sub-Inspector Sampat Dhayal of Suratgarh Sadar Police Station said a preliminary investigation indicated that the accident involved a head-on collision between an Army vehicle and the private ambulance. Police collected evidence from the scene, and the exact cause of the crash remained under investigation.Traffic on National Highway-62 remained disrupted for some time before police removed the damaged vehicles and restored normal movement.In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Nikhil Dhawan, Defence Spokesperson for the Indian Army, said At approximately 0530 hours today Sunday, a serious road accident occurred on the Suratgarh–Ganganagar Road near Kenchian Town when a civil ambulance, while overtaking a civilian truck on the opposite carriageway, collided head-on with an Army ALS vehicle proceeding in the correct direction of traffic.The Army ALS vehicle was part of an operational convoy when the ambulance, coming from the opposite direction at considerable speed in the course of overtaking another civilian truck, crossed onto the wrong side of the road, leaving little time or space to avert the collision.He said Tragically, three civilians have lost their lives as a result of this accident. Upon immediate assessment of the situation, Army personnel on the spot acted swiftly to render first aid and ensured the evacuation of all casualties for medical attention without delay.Civil police authorities have arrived at the site. A formal investigation is underway and all necessary legal processes are being initiated by the competent authorities. The Army is extending full cooperation to the police and civil administration in this regard.The Army expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands in solidarity with them in this hour of grief. The Army formation will extend every possible assistance to the civil authorities during the course of the investigation.
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