bhind truck pickup accident up workers death lakhimpur

Injured people were taken to hospital by ambulance in the road accident in Madhya Pradesh.

Eight labourers from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh were killed and 23 others injured in a road accident in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The accident occurred on National Highway-719 near Chheemka village in the Gohad area at around 1 am, when a speeding pickup vehicle carrying the labourers collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction while trying to avoid cows sitting on the road. All the labourers were returning to their village after completing paddy transplantation work in the Gwalior region.

Accident occurred while trying to save cows

According to police, the pickup was travelling at an estimated speed of around 80 to 90 kilometres per hour at the time of the accident. Officials said some cows were sitting on the highway near Chheemka village, and the driver attempted to swerve the pickup to avoid the cattle that suddenly appeared ahead, causing the vehicle to collide with the oncoming truck. The impact was so severe that the pickup was badly damaged and the labourers on board suffered serious injuries.

Labourers were returning after completing paddy transplantation work

Police said all the labourers travelling in the pickup had come to the Gwalior region for seasonal paddy transplantation work. After finishing the work, they were returning to their village in Lakhimpur Kheri. Their vehicle met with the accident near Chheemka village during this night journey. On being informed of the accident, police from Gohad Chauraha police station reached the spot, and with the help of local villagers, the injured were pulled out of the vehicle and taken to hospital.

Five bodies kept in Gohad, three in Gwalior

Of the deceased, five bodies have been kept in Gohad and three in Gwalior, where the identification process is under way. Besides the pickup driver, the truck driver was also injured in the accident. Those among the injured whose condition is said to be critical are reported to have been referred to larger hospitals for better treatment.

Dr Devendra Sharma, casualty in-charge at the trauma centre of Jai Arogya Hospital (JAH) in Gwalior, officially confirmed the accident and shared key details about the incident. He said the tragic accident occurred near Chheemka village under the jurisdiction of Gohad Chauraha police station. The labourers, who were returning to Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, were travelling in a pickup vehicle that collided head-on with a speeding dumper (truck) coming from the opposite direction. Following the accident, the seriously injured labourers were immediately brought to the trauma centre in Gwalior, where a team of doctors is treating them.

Meanwhile, on the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the administration has gone into active mode. Continuous coordination is being maintained between the UP government and the local administration in Madhya Pradesh to ensure the injured receive prompt treatment. CM Yogi has given strict instructions to provide ₹2 lakh each in assistance to the families of the Lakhimpur labourers killed in the accident, and to ensure the bodies are sent to their village with dignity.