In a twist of fate, a man loses his son and a boy loses his father. Ten others also die in an accident | News from India

BAREILLY: Twelve pilgrims, including three children, were killed in Shahjahanpur on Saturday night when a dumper truck loaded with gravel rammed into a parked bus carrying around 50 people on their way to Purnagiri temple in Uttarakhand.

The incident resulted in several fatalities, which can best be described as tragic twists of fate. A 10-year-old boy, who had been sent by his father to fetch a bottle of water shortly before the accident, survived, while his father, who was still on the bus, was killed.

Another passenger and his wife, who were having dinner at the restaurant where the bus stopped, asked their son to keep a bag on the bus. When the 15-year-old did so, the dump truck plowed into the bus. The teenager died, while his parents survived.

Speeding garbage truck rams bus parked next to restaurant
Yashraj, 10, who was travelling with his father Pramod Kumar, 30, who died in the accident, narrated the sequence of events to TOI.

“Our bus had stopped at a food stall and my father and I had dinner together. Then we went to the bus but my father realized that we needed a bottle of drinking water for the journey so he asked me to get one. Minutes later, a truck came and crashed into the bus. All the passengers, including my father, were buried under the truck loaded with stones,” said the boy, who still cannot come to terms with the fact that his father is no longer alive.

Rupesh Kumar was also heartbroken after the accident. “I was having dinner with my wife and two children. We sent our 15-year-old son Ajeet to the bus to keep a bag. Ajeet was about to board the bus when it was hit by the truck. Who would have thought that we would lose him like this… I can’t believe this has happened,” said Kumar, tears streaming down his face.

Another passenger, Raj Karan, 19, lost his mother, Sonwati Devi, 45, in a similar manner. Karan was in the restaurant finishing his meal while his mother had gone inside the bus to sleep. She died instantly when the dump truck collided with the bus.

Giving details of the casualties, SSP Ashok Kumar Meena said, “Eleven pilgrims were killed on the spot and one died at Shahjahanpur Hospital. Nine people were injured. The bus was parked near a roadside food stall on Gola State Highway in Khuthar where passengers were having dinner. At around 11.10 pm, an oncoming dumper truck first hit the bus and then overturned. Cranes were used in the rescue operation, which lasted nearly five hours.”

SSP Ashok Kumar Meena further said, “An FIR has been filed against the truck driver under IPC sections 304 (intentional killing) and 269 (reckless driving). He is an absconder.”