KOTA, October 17: Seven people were killed and more than 15 others injured after a speeding Traveller vehicle plunged nearly 20 feet into a rainwater drain on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Kota district on Saturday morning.
The accident occurred at around 7 am in the Simliya police station area when the vehicle, travelling from Madhya Pradesh to Jaipur, reportedly went out of control after the driver dozed off at the wheel.
According to Simliya police station officer Nand Singh, the Traveller had crossed the Karadiya Toll Plaza and was proceeding towards Sultanpur when the driver apparently fell asleep. Due to the high speed, he lost control of the vehicle, which broke through the roadside divider and plunged into the drain from the bridge.
The impact was severe, leaving the front portion of the vehicle badly damaged and trapping passengers inside. Seven people died in the accident, while more than 15 sustained injuries, some of them reported to be serious.
After receiving information, police personnel reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. The injured passengers were pulled out of the drain and shifted by ambulance to the New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital in Kota for treatment.
Further details regarding the identities of the deceased and the condition of the injured are awaited.
