BHOPAL: Five minors were among six members of a family killed when a truck rammed their hatchback from the rear in MP’s Chhindwara district on Thursday night.
The youngest of the children was seven years old, and the eldest 17. The driver survived but is in critical condition.
The family was driving from Teka Naka in Nagpur to Patpara village in Chhindwara district, a distance of around 150km. “One of the victims, 35-year-old Nisha, was a native of Patpara, married in Nagpur,” additional SP Sanjeev Uike told TOI.
Barely 30km from their destination, tragedy struck. A truck slammed into their car near Kherwada village. “The collision was so powerful that the car was sent careening off the road and close to a pond. The travelers were thrown from the vehicle,” said the ASP.
Nisha, Divya, 7, Gulli, 14, Mayuri, 15, and Rahul, 17, died on the spot. Fourteenyear-old Mahie died in hospital. The bodies of Nisha and Divya were found after a long search in the darkness as they were flung several metres away.
Driver locked the truck and ran away
All the victims are residents of Teka Naka in ward number 4 of Nagpur.
The truck stalled due to the accident.
The driver locked it up and ran away. He was tracked down and arrested on Friday afternoon, the ASP said.
“A case has been registered against the truck driver. The victims’ kin were informed last night and they came to the hospital,” Uike said.
