Bagru Highway Crash Kills 3 Pilgrims From Nashik

Three pilgrims lost their lives and 18 others were hurt in a road accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan's Bagru area early on Saturday.

The passenger van, carrying 28 devotees from Nashik in Maharashtra, was heading from Jaipur to the Sanwaliya Seth temple in Chittorgarh when the crash happened. Police say the vehicle hit a trailer truck moving in front of it as it came down the Bagru overpass around 1:50 AM.

Bagru SHO Chandrabhan said the three victims died on the spot. The 18 injured were rushed to SMS Hospital in Jaipur. One of the injured is said to be seriously hurt. Authorities are yet to release the names of the dead and injured.

Several passengers said the driver had lost control while attempting to overtake the trailer. They also alleged that he had been drinking alcohol before starting the journey.

Praveen, a survivor, said the group left Jaipur at about 10:30 PM on Friday. According to him, the passengers had urged the driver not to travel during the night, but he continued. He said the driver had also consumed liquor, and the van lost control as it went down the overpass.

Passengers sitting in the front seats suffered the most serious injuries. Police have begun an investigation into the cause of the accident. The allegation of drunk driving has not been independently confirmed.