At least 31 people have died and over 30 people were injured in two separate road accidents in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, reports bdnews24.com citing NDTV and ANI.
Both of the accidents took place in the state’s Kanpur on Saturday night, authorities said.
A tractor-trolley carrying 50 pilgrims from Chandrika Devi temple overturned and fell into a pond near Ghatampur area, leaving 26 of them dead.
Most of them were women and children and dozens of others sustained serious injuries, the private broadcaster said, citing officials.
Police said the injured have been moved to a local hospital and the chief of a police station has been suspended over negligence of duty.
Indian news agency ANI said the policeman had been suspended for delaying to bring his force to the scene of the accident.
Expressing grief over the death of 26 pilgrims, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of 200,000 rupees each for the families of the victims. The injured will be given 50,000 rupees each as financial aid, he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed his sympathies and sent two senior state ministers to the site to oversee the relief and rescue measures, according to NDTV.
Adityanath urged the people so that they don’t use a tractor-trolley for transport. “A tractor-trolley should be used for agricultural work and to transfer goods,” he said.
Meanwhile, five people have been killed and 10 others were injured when a truck rammed into a three-wheeler, locally known as ‘loader tempo’ near Ahiwan flyover, NDTV reports.
An investigation has been launched into the matter and efforts are being made to trace the truck, a police spokesman Anand Prakash Tiwari said
Police said the injured have been undergoing treatment at hospitals.