PRAYAGRAJ: At least eight people, including five women and three children, were killed and 21 injured when the van they were travelling in hit a stationary truck near Kurawli village on the Prayagraj-Kanpur highway (NH-2) in Kaushambi district on Friday evening.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families and announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. He directed officials to reach the spot immediately and expedite relief and rescue operations.The accident took place around 4 pm under the limits of Saini police station when the victims were returning to Kurawali village in Fatehpur after attending a ‘mundan’ ceremony in Prayagraj. Kaushambi SP Rajesh Kumar told TOI, “A Fatehpur-based family, along with their relatives and friends, had gone to Prayagraj for a mundan ceremony. While returning, the driver of the van lost balance and the van rammed into a truck from behind, resulting in the death of eight persons.“According to sources, there were 29 passengers in the van. The deceased have been identified as Sukhrania (65), Darsaniya (68) , Raj Kumari (35), Kalloo (22), Gudia (27), Dhruv (7), Mayank (10) and Anuj (8). They were all residents of Jafarganj fatehpur.The injured were rushed to Sirathu CHC and the district hospital in Manjhanpur and were stated to be stable, SP Kumar added. The accident also caused a major traffic snarl on the highway for more than an hour.A health department official said more than 20 injured persons were brought to the facility, some with fractures, while several were referred to the district hospital for advanced treatment. A few victims succumbed to their injuries while being taken to the hospital.
