Six pilgrims were killed and 14 others were injured after a pick-up vehicle crashed into a stationary truck on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway in Haryana’s Palwal on Tuesday, police said. The victims were from Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh.
The accident took place at around 4.30 am when the group was returning from Rajasthan after visiting the Khatu Shyam temple and other shrines, and was on its way to Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. Police said a preliminary investigation suggested that the driver had fallen asleep before the crash.
A police officer said three of the six dead were women. The deceased were identified as Vijay, 75, Rajkumar, 40, Reshma, 45, Kamala, 65, Sudha, 52, and Mahesh, 60. The injured were taken to a hospital in Palwal, while the bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital for postmortem.
Police said the driver fled the spot after the accident and efforts were under way to trace him. After the crash, Palwal Deputy Commissioner Jayendra Singh Chhillar visited the site and issued strict instructions to the departments concerned regarding activities being carried out along the expressway.
According to an official statement, a liquor vend near the accident site was also inspected during the visit. After irregularities were found, the deputy commissioner ordered it to be sealed and directed that an FIR be registered. He also held a review meeting with officials to gather details on the causes of the accident, and said any disregard of prescribed road safety rules and standards on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal and Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal expressways ‘would not be tolerated under any circumstances’.
The crash left six pilgrims dead and 14 injured as they were travelling from Rajasthan to Vrindavan, while the administration began an inquiry into the accident and action linked to irregularities found near the site.
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Sep 2, 2026 02:20 IST
