Seven pilgrims, including a one-year-old girl, were killed and six others injured when an auto-rickshaw rammed from behind into a stationary truck early Tuesday in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
According to the police, the incident occurred near Kadari area on the Khajuraho-Jhansi national highway 39 at around 5 AM.
Chhatarpur SP Agam Jain said the CNG auto-rickshaw was ferrying 12 pilgrims of Uttar Pradesh from the Chhatarpur railway station to the Bageshwar Dham. The auto collided from behind into a truck that was parked on the roadside.
The collision resulted in the deaths of five people on the spot, while two others breathed their last while undergoing treatment at a hospital. The remaining six people also suffered serious injuries and were admitted to hospital for treatment.
According to sources, all the passengers in the auto were from Mahoba and Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Police officials said the deceased include the auto driver Prem Narayan Kushwaha (46), Manu Shrivastava (25), Govind Shrivastava (35), Janardan Yadav (45), Nanhe (42), Lalu and one-year-old Anshika.