Dhar/ Badnawar (Madhya Pradesh): Eight persons were killed and two others injured after a gas tanker collided with two four-wheelers (car and jeep) in Dhar district, police said on Thursday.
As per reports, the incident took place around 11 pm on Wednesday when the gas tanker was heading from the wrong side on a road near Bamansuta village on Badnawar-Ujjain highway.
It hit a car and a jeep coming from the opposite direction, Dhar SP Manoj Kumar Singh said. Four persons died on the spot, while four others succumbed to injuries later in hospital, he said. After receiving information, senior officials reached the spot to launch the rescue operation.
Locals helped in the operation during which trapped persons were pulled out of the vehicles using a crane, the SP said. The injured persons were admitted to a hospital in neighbouring Ratlam district, he said.
Among the deceased were four occupants of the car and four travelling in the jeep, according to police. The victims belong to Ratlam, Mandsaur (in MP) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) districts, the SP said.
The truck driver fled from the spot after the accident. Locals helped in the rescue operation during which trapped persons were pulled out of the vehicles using a crane, the SP said. The deceased have been identified through Aadhar cards found in the car pockets as Anil Vyas, Veeramlal Dhangar, Likhmaram, Chetan Bagerwal, Bana Singh, Anoop Punia, Jitendra Punia and Girdhari Makhija.
All bodies were transported to Badnawar Civil Hospital for postmortem examination. CM Mohan Yadav extended his sincere condolences to deceased’s kin through a social media post on X (Twitter).
In just two months since the opening of a new four-lane highway, numerous accidents have taken place, including an accident near Dholna village where one person from Arjun Khedi village was killed. Despite the alarming number of casualties, local authorities have yet to address the safety concerns on the highway
