At least ten devotees lost their lives and nineteen others sustained injuries after their car collided with a bus on the Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway early on Saturday.
The victims were en route to the Maha Kumbh Mela to take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam.
The fatal mishap occurred in the Meja area of Prayagraj district.
According to police sources, the devotees were travelling from Korba district in Chhattisgarh when their vehicle met with the tragic accident.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken note of the accident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
He has instructed officials to promptly reach the site and accelerate relief efforts. Additionally, district administration officials have been directed to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.
The Chief Minister also wished a swift recovery for those hurt in the incident.
DCP Yamunanagar, Vivek Chandra Yadav on his way to the accident spot said, "We have confirmed a horrific road accident on the Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway near PS Meja around midnight, where a Bolero carrying devotees from Chhattisgarh to the Maha Kumbh collided with a bus, resulting in 10 fatalities. Further investigation is underway."
While four of the deceased were identified based on their Aadhaar cards, six were identified on the basis of information provided by their relatives.
The deceased include Somnath (28), Ishwari Prasad Jaiswal (56), Bhagirathi Jaiswal (43), Santosh Soni (55), Saurabh Soni, Ajay Banjare, Ganga Das Verma, Shiva Rajput (60), Deepak Verma and Raju Sahu.
The bodies have been sent to the SRN Hospital in Prayagraj for autopsy, the DCP said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.
In another incident, four persons were killed and six sustained injuries after a tourist van carrying pilgrims from the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj rammed into a stationary truck on a highway in Gujarat's Dahod district on Saturday.
According to police, the accident occurred around 2.15 am on the Indore-Ahmedabad highway near Limkheda, an official said.
He said a tourist van carrying 10 pilgrims rammed into a truck parked on the side of the road.
The deceased, including a woman, were residents of Ankleshwar in Bharuch district and Dholka in Ahmedabad district, he said.
The official said, "The pilgrims were returning from the Maha Kumbh. Four persons, including a woman, died on the spot, and six others were injured and taken to a hospital."
According to the police, the deceased were identified as Devraj Nakum (49) and his wife Jasuba (47), both from Ankleshwar, and Dholka residents Sidhraj Dabhi (32) and Ramesh Goswami (47).
Past accidents involving Maha Kumbh pilgrims
This is not the first time that accidents involving Maha Kumbh devotees have occurred.
Also read: 9 returning from Maha Kumbh killed in 2 MP road accidents
On Tuesday, seven pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh lost their lives when their tempo traveler collided with a truck on a highway in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district. They were returning from the Maha Kumbh when the tragic incident took place.
A day earlier, on Monday, a couple from Agra died, and four others sustained injuries after their car crashed into a truck while returning from the Kumbh.
According to Station House Officer Rudra Pratap Singh, authorities seized the truck and detained the driver.
In another accident on Monday, a man from Rourkela, Odisha, died, and six others were injured when their car, traveling from the Maha Kumbh, collided with a bus in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra, police reported.
The Maha Kumbh, the world's largest spiritual gathering, commenced on January 13 and will continue until February 26, coinciding with Maha Shivaratri.
As per government data, over 92 lakh devotees had taken a holy dip by 6 PM on Friday, with the total footfall surpassing 50 crore by that time.
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