A devastating early morning collision on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district claimed the lives of three young tennis players and left three others severely injured on Wednesday. The group was travelling from Lucknow towards Deoria in an Ertiga when their vehicle rammed into the rear of an unidentified truck near milestone 97.500, crushing the front section of the car completely.
High-Speed Collision During Early Dawn
The fatal accident occurred around 5 AM under the jurisdiction of the Baldirai police station. Six occupants were inside the car at the time of the journey. Preliminary police findings indicate that the driver likely momentarily dozed off behind the wheel. The car was travelling at an estimated speed of 100 km per hour when it slammed into the heavy vehicle ahead, leaving zero reaction time for the driver to avert the impact.
Emergency Evacuation and Medical Response
The force of the collision crumpled the entire front half of the vehicle, trapping the injured passengers within the wreckage. Upon receiving word of the crash, highway patrol personnel from UPEIDA along with local police officers arrived at the scene to initiate emergency rescue operations. Passersby joined responders to pry open the crushed vehicle doors and extricate the bleeding victims. An ambulance immediately transported the injured to the 100-bed Combined Hospital in Kumarganj, where medical staff administered initial emergency treatment before referring the three critically injured survivors to Darshannagar Medical College.
Casualties and Surviving Victims Identified
The three deceased individuals, all hailing from Deoria, have been identified as 22-year-old Nitya Prajapati, 20-year-old Irfan Ansari, and 24-year-old Aniket. The survivors receiving intensive medical care are 23-year-old Anand Yadav from Lakhaura in Deoria's Lar police station area, 22-year-old Raju Yadav from Taiyar Buzurg, and 30-year-old Jayanto Sharma from Jamuni in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.
Injured passenger Jayanto Sharma recounted, "We were sleeping. We woke up to the sound of the crash. The car was wedged inside the truck, and our companions were covered in blood. Passersby broke the doors to pull us out."
Police Investigation and Search for the Unidentified Truck
The driver of the unidentified truck did not stop after the collision, prompting an active search by the authorities. Circle Officer Baldirai Ashutosh Kumar confirmed the incident, detailing that legal proceedings have commenced and investigators are reconstructing the sequence of events. Police teams are tracking the route to trace the vehicle involved, while standard statutory procedures, including autopsies, are underway.
