Madhya Pradesh: Five friends killed as Fortuner rams into tractor-trolley in Gwalior

Representational Image. File Pic

In an extremely unfortunate incident in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district, five young men, all friends, were killed in a road accident on Sunday. The officials, while addressing the horrific accident, said that the incident happened on the Gwalior-Jhansi Highway.

The collision occurred at around 6.00 a.m. near Malwa College when a speeding Fortuner car smashed into a sand-laden tractor-trolley. The impact between the two vehicles was so massive that no one sitting inside the car survived. As reported by the news agency, all the deceased were residents of Gwalior.

Police, while further briefing about the accident, said, "The Fortuner was travelling from Jhansi towards Gwalior when the tragedy occurred. As the vehicle approached Malwa College, a tractor-trolley emerged from a turn onto the highway. The car, moving at high speed, lost control, resulting in a catastrophic impact."

Speaking to the media, DSP Nagendra Singh Sikarwar (Crime) further asserted that, "The collision was so severe that half of the Fortuner was crushed under the trolley, trapping and killing all five occupants instantly," as quoted by IANS.

The mangled wreckage underscored the intensity of the crash. Even the airbags of the car burst with the impact," DSP Sikarwar added.

When asked if the vehicle was being driven rashly, the senior police official said, "A vehicle like the Fortuner cannot be easily crashed to an unrecognisable degree; it indicates it was being driven at more than 120 km per hour. Even the airbags could not help. Sadly, all the occupants were young and under 25 years of age. Some of them were the sole sons of their fathers."

As soon as the information about the accident reached the authorities, police and emergency services rushed to the scene. With assistance from local villagers, authorities used cutting tools to extricate the bodies from the intertwined wreckage of the car and tractor-trolley.

As reported by IANS, the operation was extremely gruelling, as the car's frame was almost unrecognisable after the impact. Moreover, the bodies of the deceased were later sent for post-mortem examination, and an investigation has been initiated to ascertain the precise circumstances of the accident.

The deceased were identified as Kshitij, alias Prince Rajawat; Kaushal Bhadoria; Aditya Pratap Singh Jadon; Abhimanyu Singh; and another whose name is yet to be confirmed, reported PTI.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the group, all close friends, were returning from a birthday celebration in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, when the accident occurred.

(With inputs from IANS)