Jaipur, October 24 — Three people were killed and 18 others injured when a Traveller van carrying devotees from Maharashtra rammed into a trailer truck on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway in Rajasthan's Bagru area in the wee hours of Saturday. According to police, the accident occurred at around 1.50 am as the van was descending from the Bagru overpass. The vehicle was carrying 28 devotees from Nashik, Maharashtra, who were travelling from Jaipur to the Sanwaliya Seth temple in Chittorgarh.
Source: IANS via HiIndia
Chandrabhan, Station House Officer (SHO) of Bagru police station, said the van collided with a trailer truck moving ahead of it. Three passengers died on the spot, while 18 others sustained injuries. The injured were taken to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur for treatment, and one of them is in a critical condition. Passengers seated in the front of the vehicle suffered severe injuries. Hindusthan Samachar identified the dead as Mahendra, Sandeep and Deepak.
Source: Hindusthan Samachar via Vocal TV
According to the injured passengers, the van driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle while attempting to overtake the trailer truck. Injured passenger Pravin said the group had left Jaipur at around 10.30 pm on Friday and alleged that the driver had consumed alcohol before driving and did not listen when passengers asked him not to travel at night. The allegation that the driver was under the influence of alcohol has not yet been independently confirmed.
Source: IANS via HiIndia
Police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the passengers' allegations against the driver.