Raipur: Five people were killed in a head-on collision between a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and a speeding truck on National Highway 49 near Sukli village in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh.
Three others, who sustained severe injuries in the accident on Tuesday night, were fighting for their lives in the hospital, police officials said.
The victims, all residents of Navagarh, were returning from a wedding procession when their SUV smashed into an oncoming truck under the jurisdiction of the City Kotwali police station.
The force of the impact was so severe that both vehicles were left mangled beyond recognition, according to eyewitnesses and initial police reports.
Among the deceased were Vishwanath Devangan, aged 43, Rajendra Kashyap, 27, Pomeshwar Jaltare, 33, Bhupendra Sahu, 40, and the youngest victim, 22-year-old Kamalnayan Sahu.
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The bodies of all victims have been sent for post-mortem investigation.
The group had been celebrating a family wedding earlier in the evening, turning what should have been a night of festivities into unimaginable tragedy.
The three survivors, who sustained critical injuries, were rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment but were soon referred to a higher medical centre due to the severity of their conditions.
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Police teams arrived swiftly at the scene to extricate the trapped occupants and secure the area.
Medical teams described their situation of the injured persons as precarious, with ongoing efforts to stabilise them.
Police officials said the collision occurred around midnight, and preliminary investigations point to high speed on the part of the truck as a contributing factor.
The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Motor Vehicles Act, and a thorough probe is underway to determine the exact sequence of events.
Local authorities have extended condolences to the bereaved families, promising support in the form of ex gratia payments and assistance with funeral arrangements.