A tragic road accident occurred on the Ganga Expressway in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh during the early hours of Wednesday. An Ertiga car carrying ten passengers from Nepal toward Chandigarh lost control and overturned while trying to avoid a stray dog that unexpectedly ran onto the highway. The severe crash resulted in the immediate deaths of three individuals, including two women and a young man, while seven other occupants, including the driver and two young children, sustained serious injuries. Following the accident, a heart-wrenching scene unfolded at the district hospital where a two-year-old child, unaware of his mother's death, lay on a hospital bed continuously crying and calling out for his mother. The emotional distress of the toddler brought tears to the eyes of hospital staff and onlookers, while footage of the incident circulated widely on social media platforms.
Car Swerves to Avoid Stray Dog and Overturns on Expressway
According to details from local authorities, the accident took place at approximately 3:45 AM on Wednesday morning near channel number 175 within the jurisdiction of the Kunwargaon police station area and close to the Ban Kota section along the Ganga Expressway highway near the Wazirganj police station boundary. The Ertiga passenger car had departed from Rupaidiha at the Nepal border and was en route to Chandigarh. All occupants belonged to various locations across Nepal and were travelling to Chandigarh for employment and personal work. As the vehicle was traversing the Budaun stretch of the highway in the pre-dawn hours, a stray dog suddenly sprinted across the main driving lane. Driver Deepak Oli attempted to avoid colliding with the animal by turning the steering wheel sharply, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle entirely.
Upon losing stability, the high-speed Ertiga car flipped over on the highway pavement. The vehicle tumbled and dragged along the hard concrete surface for approximately 25 to 30 meters before coming to a halt. The violent impact heavily damaged the car, trapping the injured passengers inside amidst cries for assistance. Local police personnel on patrol duty and emergency response teams assigned to the Ganga Expressway arrived promptly at the location after receiving information, initiating rescue operations to extricate the victims from the wreckage.
Three Fatalities Confirmed as Seven Injured Undergo Treatment
The severity of the collision resulted in three passengers dying at the scene. The deceased individuals have been identified as 28-year-old Deepna Khatri, wife of Nem Bahadur, and 27-year-old Vipna Sunmagar, wife of Vishal, alongside an unidentified young man. Police officers from Kunwargaon and Wazirganj stations arranged for emergency ambulances to transport all seven surviving victims to the district hospital in Budaun for urgent medical intervention.
Police officials confirmed that the seven injured individuals receiving medical treatment at the district hospital include car driver Deepak Oli, Pushpa, Gyan Bahadur Malla, Yadav Pode, 10-year-old child Simon, and two-year-old toddler Vinod. Senior medical officers at the hospital are actively monitoring the condition of the injured victims, several of whom remain in critical condition. Law enforcement authorities completed initial formalities, took custody of the deceased individuals' bodies, and dispatched them for post-mortem examination while initiating contact with relatives in Nepal to convey news of the tragedy.
Emotional Scenes at District Hospital as Toddler Cries for Mother
A deeply distressing situation developed inside the emergency ward of the Budaun district hospital following the arrival of the victims. Two-year-old Vinod, the son of deceased passenger Deepna Khatri, was placed on a hospital bed suffering from injuries sustained during the rollover. Completely unaware that his 28-year-old mother had succumbed to her injuries in the crash, the toddler repeatedly wept and called out for his mother. The child had no understanding that the mother who had cared for him hours earlier was no longer alive.
Fellow patients, attending family members, and medical personnel present in the hospital ward attempted to comfort the weeping toddler. However, his continuous cries for his mother created a somber atmosphere throughout the facility, leaving many onlookers visibly moved. Video clips capturing the child's plight at the hospital spread across online platforms, eliciting widespread expressions of sympathy and raising discussions regarding road safety measures and stray animal hazards on high-speed expressways.
Expressway Safety Measures and Ongoing Police Investigation
The fatal crash on the Ganga Expressway has once again drawn attention to highway safety protocols and animal barrier controls along high-speed corridors. Emergency patrol units cleared the collision site shortly after the incident, removing the damaged vehicle from the roadway to restore normal traffic flow. Budaun police authorities are continuing their investigation into the exact circumstances of the collision while liaising with diplomatic representatives and family members in Nepal to facilitate necessary legal procedures.
