Varanasi: Mere hours after bidding a farewell to their sister at her wedding, tragedy struck the family after her two cousin brothers were mowed down by a speeding truck in Bhadohi early Wednesday. Their friend, who was riding with them, was left battling for his life with serious injuries.The deceased were identified as Karan (18), his cousin Arjun Gautam (20) and friend Sohan Gupta (19).A pall of grief engulfed Karan’s house, where wedding celebrations turned into mourning within hours. His sister had bid farewell to her family after her wedding ceremony shortly before the tragic accident.Relatives said Karan’s elder brother, Azad, had died due to illness nearly six months ago, and the family was still coping with that loss. Karan and Arjun, natives of Soilara in Varanasi, worked together at a carpet manufacturing unit in Bhadohi. Arjun was the youngest among four brothers and three sisters.Bhadohi police station in-charge Sachchidanand Pandey said Karan and Arjun had set out on a motorcycle to drop their friend at his home. They had travelled only a few hundred metres from their residence in Hariav Ward-11 when a speeding and uncontrolled truck rammed into their motorcycle before fleeing the spot.While Arjun died on the spot, Karan succumbed to injuries in a hospital.After the postmortem examination was completed, the police handed over the bodies of Karan and Arjun to their family members on Wednesday afternoon. Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the area to trace the truck involved in the accident and identify its driver.
