Amroha(UP), Jun 11 (PTI) Three members of a family were killed and eight others injured when their SUV crashed into a divider on the Ganga Expressway after the driver apparently dozed off at the wheel, police said on Thursday.
The accident occurred around 10.30 am on Wednesday near the Amroha-Sambhal border as the family was returning to Lucknow after a vacation in Jammu and Kashmir, Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi said.
The deceased were identified as Abu Bakar (40), who was driving the vehicle, his sister-in-law Hina (28), and his niece Junaira (15). All three died on the spot, police said.
Eight other family members sustained injuries, including Abu Bakar’s wife Kulsoom (38), his brother Mohammad Umar (32), nieces Sidra (14) and Hania (2), and Hina’s children Mohammad (4), Affan (7), Afifa (7) and Hamna (10).
Police said three of the injured are in critical condition and have been referred to a higher medical centre for advanced treatment. The injured were initially admitted to a private hospital in Sambhal.
Another car carrying other members of the family was travelling ahead of the SUV. The occupants learnt about the accident after reaching a toll plaza around 20 km away and immediately returned to the spot, family members said.
Police rushed to the scene, shifted the injured to hospital and sent the bodies for postmortem examination.
Bishnoi said the accident occurred between Said Nagli police station in Amroha district and Kaila Devi police station in Sambhal district. However, Sambhal police reached the spot first due to its proximity.
Police said driver fatigue appeared to be the primary cause of the accident. Over the past month, nearly a dozen people have lost their lives in separate accidents on the Ganga Expressway, according to local officials. PTI COR CDN DV DV
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