UP: 3 pilgrims killed, 8 injured as car collides with tractor-trolley near Ayodhya

Ayodhya: Three devotees were killed and eight others were seriously injured when an SUV carrying pilgrims to Ayodhya collided with a tractor-trolley on Thursday morning, police said.

The accident occurred around 5 am on the Ayodhya-Prayagraj highway near Kalyan Bhadarsa village.

Purakalandar police station in-charge Manoj Sharma said the SUV, carrying 11 people from Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district and travelling from Sultanpur towards Ayodhya, veered into the opposite lane after the driver allegedly fell asleep and crashed into an tractor-trolley head-on.

He said eight of the people, travelling in the SUV, were flung out of the vehicle in the collision. They were taken to a nearby community health centre and later referred to the district hospital, where doctors said some remain in critical condition. The three passengers who were trapped inside the SUV died on the spot, Sharma said.

Police personnel, with the help of locals, reached the site soon after the crash, secured both vehicles and launched an investigation.

It was not clear whether the tractor trolley was moving or stationary at the time of the crash, and police said this is being investigated.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the accident, expressed condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to ensure swift relief measures and proper treatment for the injured, an official spokesperson said.