Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh)

A speeding dumper truck crushed four members of a family, including three children, sleeping by the roadside in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district on Saturday, officials said.

The accident occurred on the Fatehpur-Bhanoli road near the village of Jhansa, located within the Fatehpur Kotwali police station area of Barabanki.

The accident claimed the lives of a man and his three children, while his wife and the children’s mother sustained critical injuries. She is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Lucknow, officials said.

Due to scorching heat and a lack of electricity, the family had set up their beds outside their home, right by the roadside, to sleep. At that moment, a speeding dumper truck approaching from the direction of Mahmudabad lost control and ploughed into the sleeping family, according to the officials.

Amit Singh, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Fatehpur, confirmed that four people lost their lives, while one is in critical condition.

The injured were initially taken to a Community Health Centre; however, after receiving first aid, the mother was referred to the District Hospital due to her critical condition. The injured children had already succumbed to their injuries by that time.

According to the officials, upon hearing the cries, locals had immediately rushed to the site and initiated rescue operations.

Officials said that the locals informed the police following the incident. Upon receiving the information, the police also arrived at the spot; they facilitated the injured woman’s transport to the hospital and sent the bodies for a post-mortem examination.

The police have taken the dumper truck and its driver into custody.