- Tuesday, February 11, 2025
A truck being driven on the wrong side of the road collided with a mini-bus carrying Kumbh mela pilgrims in Jabalpur, according to eyewitnesses
By: India Weekly
NINE people returning from Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj were killed and five injured in two road accidents in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur and Maihar districts on Tuesday (11), officials said.
A truck collided with a mini-bus in Jabalpur, killing seven occupants in the bus. They were returning to Andhra Pradesh from Prayagraj (in Uttar Pradesh), according to a district official.
The incident took place at around 8.30 am near Sihora town, he added.
Eyewitnesses claimed the truck was being driven on the wrong side.
Seven people died on the spot, while several others were trapped inside the mini-bus, they said.
A sports utility vehicle (SUV) following the mini-bus also collided with the same truck, but there were no casualties.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav told reporters that he has instructed the officials to provide all help to the injured and make arrangements to transport the mortal remains of deceased to Andhra Pradesh.
In Maihar, two people were killed and five others injured when an unidentified vehicle hit their SUV near Kanchanpur village on National Highway no. 30 at around 4 am, a police official from Dehat police station said.
The SUV was returning to Indore from the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, he added.
All the injured people were referred to the Satna district hospital after initial treatment in Amarpatan, the official said.
The police have identified the two deceased as Manju Sharma (32) and Manoj Vishwakarma.
CCTV footage of the area is being examined to track the unidentified vehicle, police said.
Traffic curbs
The Prayagraj administration has chalked out a special traffic plan for Maghi Purnima on Wednesday (12), which will mark the end of the Kalpvas period, an integral tradition of the Maha Kumbh that began on January 13.
While the fair area has been declared a ‘no vehicle zone‘ from 4 am on Tuesday, the rule will apply to the entire city from 5 pm onwards with exemption for emergency and essential services, an official statement said.
The measures are meant to ensure the safety of the devotees, who are expected to take dip in the Sangam in large numbers on Wednesday, it said.
To avoid traffic chaos, designated parking lots have been marked for public and private vehicles so that the devotees face no trouble in reaching the bathing ghats on foot, the statement said.
Kalpvas refers to the practice of living near a sacred river for a set period of time, adhering to fasting, self-discipline, introspection and spiritual purification.
Performing Kalpvas during the Maha Kumbh is considered auspicious. (PTI)
