Jaipur: Three people were killed and 18 others injured when a Traveller van carrying devotees from Maharashtra rammed into a trailer truck on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway in Rajasthan’s Bagru area in the wee hours of Saturday.
According to police, the accident occurred at around 1:50 a.m. as the van was descending from the Bagru overpass. The vehicle was carrying 28 devotees from Nashik, Maharashtra, who were travelling from Jaipur to the Sanwaliya Seth temple in Chittorgarh.
Chandrabhan, Station House Officer (SHO) of Bagru police station, said the van collided with a trailer truck moving ahead of it. Three passengers died on the spot, while 18 others sustained injuries. The injured were taken to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur for treatment. One of them is reportedly in a critical condition.
According to the injured passengers, the van driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle while attempting to overtake the trailer truck. They also alleged that he had consumed alcohol before driving.
Pravin, one of the injured passengers, said the group had left Jaipur at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday. “We had asked the driver not to travel at night, but he did not listen. He had also consumed alcohol,” Pravin said.
The van reportedly went out of control while descending from the Bagru overpass and crashed into the trailer truck ahead.
Passengers seated in the front of the vehicle suffered severe injuries. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The allegation that the driver was under the influence of alcohol has not yet been independently confirmed.