A Deadly Morning After Diwali: Six Crashes, 17 Lives Lost Across UP

At least 17 people were killed and 55 injured in six separate road accidents across Uttar Pradesh on Monday, a day after Diwali, with several crashes reported in the early hours of the morning.

The deadliest accident occurred in Muzaffarnagar, where six young men were burnt alive after their car overturned and caught fire following a collision with a road divider and an electric pole. The victims, aged between 19 and 22, were residents of Haryana's Hisar district and were travelling to Haridwar when the accident took place around 4.50 am near Jagahedi village on the Panipat-Khatima highway.

Police suspect that the car was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences and directed officials to provide all possible assistance to the victims' families.

In Chitrakoot, four people, including two children, died and 12 were injured after a tractor-trolley overturned near Ramnagar around 2.30 am. The vehicle was carrying around 25 people, including members of a family from Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district. Its coupling mechanism reportedly came off, causing the trolley to overturn and trapping passengers underneath.

Another major accident occurred on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, where a bus travelling from Rajasthan's Beawar to Bihar's Chhapra overturned into a ditch between 6 am and 6.30 am. Three passengers died and 41 others were injured.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said arrangements had been made for the injured passengers' treatment. He also called for stricter enforcement of speed limits on state expressways, regular counselling of drivers and mandatory health checks before vehicles enter expressways.

In Shahjahanpur, two private bus staff members were crushed to death by an unidentified truck on the Ganga Expressway after they stepped out to inspect a windowpane. The victims were identified as conductor Vipin Yadav (50) and helper Kaushal (35), both from Bihar.

Two more crashes were reported in Lucknow and Muzaffarnagar. A 22-year-old man died and a teenager was injured after their two-wheeler was hit by a four-wheeler in Lucknow. In Muzaffarnagar, a 15-year-old boy was killed when a speeding state transport bus hit his motorcycle, leaving his friend seriously injured.

Authorities said several accidents occurred before sunrise, raising concerns about reduced visibility due to winter conditions and pollution, although its role in the crashes has not yet been established.

The latest incidents came after four people were killed in two separate road accidents on Diwali evening in Kushinagar and Lucknow, taking the toll from road crashes over the festive period even higher.