At least 15 Hindu devotees killed as tractor falls into pond in northern India
Lucknow, INDIA (AP) — A farm tractor pulling a wagon loaded with Hindu devotees overturned and fell into a pond in northern India on Saturday, killing at least 23 people, including eight children, officials said.
The wagon was carrying around 40 devotees on their way to take a ritual bath in the Ganges River when it veered off the road in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh state, police said. Officials said at least nine injured were being treated in hospitals, some of them in serious condition.
This morning in India, a tragic accident occurred as a tractor carrying Hindu devotees veered off the Patiyali-Daryaganj road in Kadarganj, Uttar Pradesh, and plunged into a pond, claiming the lives of at least 15 individuals and injuring 10 others.
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Authorities have banned tractor-pulled wagons from transporting passengers, but the order is generally flouted in rural India.
In 2022, 26 people were killed in a similar accident, also in Uttar Pradesh.
Police officer Aparna Kaushik said an initial investigation indicated that the tractor was traveling at a considerable speed before the driver lost control. It wasn’t clear if the driver had survived.
India has some of the highest road death rates in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and injured annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.
The District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police, and other law enforcement and administrative personnel later arrived at the scene.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended his ‘heartfelt condolences’ to the families of the victims, expressing ‘profound sorrow’ over the tragic incident.
He announced a compensation of Two Lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and 50,000 Rupees for the injured.
The Chief Minister said he had directed officials in the Kasganj district to ensure that the accident victims receive prompt and adequate medical attention.
