Seven people, including three children, were killed and three others injured when a private van they were travelling in rammed into a truck in Bharuch district in Gujarat on Tuesday.
The accident took place on the Jambusar-Amod state highway near Magnad village in Gujarat's Mangadh at around 11 pm on Monday when 10 persons from Vedach village were headed towards Shuklatirth, Jambusar police station inspector AV Panamia said.
The car, carrying pilgrims from the village, was on its way to attend a religious fair at the Shuklatirth temple when it rammed into a truck which was parked on the left lane of the road near Magnad village.
A police official said that the driver of the car did not see the truck as it was dark in the early hours. Following the collision, six passengers died on the spot while four others received injuries.
The victims were referred to a hospital in Jambusar. The deceased have been identified as Jaydev Gohil (23), Saraswati Gohil (21), Hansa Jadav (35), Sandhya Jadav (11), Vivek Gohil (16), Kirti Gohil (6) and Mitalben Jadav.
Following the incident, the Jambusar police registered an FIR against the unidentified driver of the truck under sections 125 (rash or negligent acts that put human life at risk) and 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said.
"The truck wheel got punctured and the driver had not put up signboards on the front side or the back side on the road of the parked truck. Even the truck’s parking lights were off. The car driver may not have seen the truck. The truck driver and his assistant are yet to be arrested," Sub-inspector K N Solanki, the investigating officer, told The Indian Express.
After the accident, the locals alerted the Jambusar police and rescued the injured. They also transported the injured to the hospital. However, by the time police arrived at the spot, the truck driver and the cleaner fled.