Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 9 Mar: A major road accident occurred late last night on the Haridwar–Dehradun highway near Raiwala when six vehicles collided with each other on the Motichur flyover, leaving one woman dead and 15 people injured. The situation turned more serious after a car running on CNG caught fire following the collision. The accident also led to a long traffic jam stretching several kilometres on the busy highway.
According to information received by the Raiwala police station through the emergency number 112 at around 9:18 p.m. last night, a bus of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation collided with a tractor-trolley on the Motichur flyover in front of Hotel Godwin while travelling from Raiwala towards Haridwar. Shortly afterwards, vehicles coming from behind, including a car, a canter and a Scorpio, also rammed into each other. The impact was so severe that a Scorpio car caught fire, and within moments, the flames spread to several vehicles involved in the accident.
The Police said that five vehicles were damaged after being engulfed in the fire triggered by the collision. The fire reportedly spread rapidly after the CNG cylinder in the Scorpio vehicle caught fire, making the situation difficult to control for some time. Flames were seen rising high on the flyover as people rushed to save their lives.
In the accident, Kusum, wife of Sachin, a resident of Bhogpur in Najibabad area of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh, was killed on the spot. Kusum, aged about 30 years, was travelling in the tractor-trolley when the bus rammed into it from behind. Due to the impact of the collision, she was thrown off the trolley and came under the tyres of the trailer. When she was later pulled out, her body was found badly mutilated.
After the fire was brought under control, the police took the body into custody during the night and sent it to the district hospital for post-mortem examination. Family members of the deceased also reached the hospital, where scenes of grief unfolded as the children saw the body of their mother. Kusum’s elder daughter Sonia broke down and repeatedly cried out that her mother had left them and asked what would happen to them now. The emotional scenes left many present at the hospital in tears.
The tragedy has dealt a severe blow to Kusum’s family. Her husband Sachin is physically disabled in both hands and is unable to work. According to family members, Kusum was the sole earning member of the household and supported the family through daily wage labour. The couple have three children, and the sudden death of the mother has left the young children facing an uncertain future.
The Police said that around 32 members of the same extended family were travelling in the tractor-trolley at the time of the accident. The group had gone to Dehradun to attend the famous Jhande Ji fair and were returning towards Haridwar late at night. They had planned to take a holy dip in the Ganga after reaching Haridwar. However, their journey ended in tragedy on the Motichur flyover.
The accident left 15 people injured, including several children. Police said that at least six children were among the injured, and one of them was a baby girl only two months old. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Those injured in the accident include Kasif, son of Basid, resident of Kandhla in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh, aged 23 years, who was the driver of the trailer; Subhash, son of Ramcharan, resident of Nangal Sukti in Bijnor district, aged 40 years; Vicky, son of Nandram, resident of Bhogpur in Najibabad, aged 28 years; Aarav, son of Vicky, aged six years; Lavi, daughter of Madan, resident of Rani Kota Raipur in Najibabad, aged 19 years; Neetu, wife of Madan, aged 35 years; Sonia, daughter of Sachin, aged 12 years; Anshika, daughter of Sachin, aged six years; Divyanshu, son of Sachin, aged eight years; Anmol, son of Ravi, resident of Manali in Dhampur area of Bijnor, aged 25 years; Sonakshi, daughter of Vicky, aged nine years; Harsh, son of Ravi, resident of Niranjanpur in Bijnor, aged seven years; Vanshika, daughter of Kripal, resident of Bhogpur in Najibabad, aged 19 years; Simran, daughter of Subhash, aged 16 years; and Gulshan, son of Jagdish, resident of Titissota in Bijnor district, aged 11 years.
Eyewitnesses said the scene after the accident was extremely distressing. Flames from the burning vehicles could be seen from a distance, and people ran in different directions in panic to save themselves. The accident also caused a massive traffic jam on the highway, with vehicles stranded for several kilometres.
According to Haridwar SP City, the accident occurred when the bus of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation hit the tractor-trolley from behind. The trolley was travelling from Rishikesh towards Haridwar and had slowed down while taking a turn on the flyover. The bus coming from behind at high speed and collided with it, following which the vehicles behind it, including a car, Canter and Scorpio also crashed into one another.
The force of the impact caused a car and the bus to catch fire. The blaze intensified when the CNG kit in the car ignited, leading to flames spreading rapidly to nearby vehicles.
Police and fire service personnel later reached the spot and brought the fire under control. Rescue operations were carried out and the injured were shifted to hospital for treatment. Authorities are continuing further investigation into the accident.
