Five youths killed as SUV rams into truck on NH-30 near Maihar while returning from birthday party

Five young men were killed and another seriously injured late at night when their speeding SUV, on its way back from a birthday celebration, ploughed into the back of a truck on National Highway-30, near Rigra village in the Nadan Dehat police station area of Maihar district.

The impact was so severe that the front of the vehicle was completely mangled, trapping all six occupants inside. Five of the men died on the spot, while the sixth was left in a critical condition.

Dial-112, highway patrol teams and Nadan Dehat police rushed to the scene after being alerted. Rescuers had to work for some time to cut open the wreckage and free those trapped inside. The five men who died were declared dead at the scene, while the seriously injured man was first taken to Amarpatan Civil Hospital. After initial treatment, he was referred to the district hospital in Satna, and later shifted to Jabalpur as his condition deteriorated.

Group had been returning from a birthday celebration

Preliminary investigations revealed that the group had been travelling back after celebrating the birthday of Manoj Patel, deputy chairman of the Amarpatan Janpad Panchayat. All those who died in the crash are said to have been his relatives — young men who had gathered together to mark the occasion before the tragedy struck on their way home.

Station in-charge Panchraj Singh of Nadan police said the deceased have been identified as Vijay Patel (30), Shiva Patel (23), Ankur Patel (40), Mridul Patel (32) and Harishankar Patel (25). Four of the victims were residents of Tanaja village in Maihar district, while Shiva Patel belonged to Narora village. The injured man has been identified as Om Patel.

Speeding blamed for the crash

According to eyewitnesses, the SUV, bearing registration number MP-13-L-1887, struck the rear of the truck near Rigra village. The collision was so violent that the vehicle was torn apart, trapping the occupants inside. Initial investigations point to excessive speed and loss of control as the main causes of the accident.

The bodies of the five victims have been sent to the mortuary at Maihar Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination. The highway saw brief traffic disruption following the crash.