In the Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday, a tractor-trolley carrying about 40 people fell into a pond, killing at least 24 people—including women and children—and injuring about 30 more. Rescue efforts are in progress, according to the police, and the injured parties have been admitted to a nearby hospital.
Officers reported that among the dead were a man, ten children, and thirteen women. They said they haven’t found the six-month-old infant for whose mundan (head-tonsuring) ceremony the group was traveling.
The accident took place on the Riyazganj-Patiyali Link Road near Gadhai village in Kasganj district. The police said that the people travelling in the trolley were from Jaithara village in UP’s Etah district and were heading towards Kadarganj to take a dip in the Ganga.
Local residents said that the accident took place because the tractor-trolley was being driven at a “high speed.”
“Those trapped in the pond are being pulled out with help of a bulldozer. The injured have been admitted to hospital. A few passers-by were also hit by the trolley when it fell,” Kasganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Aparna Rajat Kaushik said.
“Rescue efforts are on and proper medical care is being given to those injured” said Ravindder, Commissioner, Aligarh division. Two children aged below ten years also succumbed at the Aligarh hospital on Saturday afternoon, taking the death toll to 24.
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, declared that the families of the deceased would receive Rs 6 lakh each, with Rs 50,000 going to the injured. This amount included Rs 4 lakh for “Deviya aapda,” or natural disasters.
Adityanath further requested that Ministers Anup Pradhan Valmiki and Laxmi Narain, who are in charge of the Cabinet, go to the hospital and make sure that patients are receiving the best care possible.
“The loss of lives in the road accident in Kasganj is unfortunate. My condolences are with bereaved families. Officials have been instructed to take proper care of all those affected,” Adityanath posted on X.
Later in the day, the police identified the deceased as Shakuntla Devi(70), Usma (24), Meera Singh Chauhan (65), Sapna (22), Pushpa (45), Shivam (30), Devasi (6), Diksha (19),Gayatri (52),Shyamlata (40), Sunaina (10), Guddi (75), Kuldeep (7), Sandhya (5), Shivangi (25), Meera (55), Kartik (4), Payal (2 months), Anjali (24) and Javitri (25). The two children who died at an Aligarh hospital are yet to be identified, officers said.
Read More
2 Escape UP Court Custody; 3 Officers Suspended
