12 Sikh pilgrims die as vehicle rams into truck

Nagpur: At least 12 persons, including eight women and children were killed while three others sustained serious injuries in a road accident at Kosardani Ghat on the Nagpur-Tuljapur state highway on Friday morning.

According to reports reaching here, the accident occurred when three passenger vehicles rammed into each other after one of them hit a truck. Ten people died on the spot while two others succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital.

A group of Sikh pilgrims was travelling in the three vehicles on their way to Nanded from Nagpur to visit the pilgrimage site of Huzur Sahib when the mishap occurred. All the injured were admitted to the government medical college in Yavatmal, where two of them are reported to be critical.

Most of the victims were from Delhi and Karnal. Among them was one Joginder Singh Manni, who was on his way to Nanded Hazur Sahib with his family following his son Satbir Singh’s marriage on May 29 in Nagpur. The bride and groom were unhurt in the accident.

In another accident earlier in the day, two persons were killed and 18 were injured Belona village  in Kalamb tehsil in Yavatmal district, some 125km from Nagpur. The ‘Shivshahi’ ST bus en-route to Nagpur collided head-on with a speeding two-wheeler and overturned.