PM Modi, UP CM Yogi Announce Ex Gratia After SUV Carrying Pilgrims Falls Into Saryu Canal, 11 Dead

In Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, an SUV carrying 15 people plunged into the Saryu canal, killing 11, including women and children, while en route to Prithvinath Temple.

Representational Image | The Uttar Pradesh police said four people, including the SUV driver, were rescued and sent to a hospital.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Gonda (UP), Aug 3 (PTI) An SUV fell into the Saryu canal in the district on Sunday, leaving 11 people dead and four others injured, police said.

Station House Officer (SHO), Itiathok police station, Krishn Gopal Rai, said the victims were going from Sihagaon village to offer holy water at the Prithvinath Temple in Khargupur when the accident occurred near Belwa Bahuta.

Rai said the SUV was carrying 15 people, including the driver.

With the help of villagers and rescue teams, 11 bodies were recovered from the submerged vehicle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased.

The injured would be given Rs 50,000, he said.

He said on X, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to an accident in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the mishap. May the injured recover soon." Superintendent of Police, Vineet Jaiswal said those killed in the accident included six women, two men and three children.

The victims were identified as Beena (35), Kajal (22), Mehak (12), Durgesh, Nandini, Ankit, Shubh, Sanju Verma, Anju, Anasuya and Saumya.

The SP said four people, including the SUV driver, were rescued and sent to a hospital.

Rahul Verma, a resident of Itiyathok and an eyewitness to the accident, said the road was slippery due to rain in the morning.

The SUV was running on the road built next to the canal and when the driver applied the brakes it slipped and fell into the canal, he said.

"We immediately called the police and villagers to the spot and pulled out the SUV with the help of a rope," he said.

A teenage girl, who survived the accident, said, 'We were all going to visit Prithvinath temple. At the time of the incident, the women and girls were singing 'bhajans".

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives in the accident and announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)