At least three pilgrims were killed and 13 others injured when a tempo traveller collided head-on with a truck in the Nokha region of Rajasthan’s Bikaner district early Thursday morning.
According to police sources, the ill-fated tempo traveller was carrying pilgrims returning to Bikaner after paying obeisance at the Srinath shrine in Nathdwara. The accident occurred on the Charcada bypass along the Bikaner-Nagaur Highway (NH-62) between 3:30 am and 4:00 am.
Police said the truck was moving at a high speed and failed to stop immediately even after the collision. The truck eventually came to a halt only a few yards away from people sleeping outside their homes along the roadside, narrowly averting another tragedy.
The truck driver fled the spot after the accident, police added.
The impact of the collision severely damaged the tempo traveller.
All injured passengers were rushed to PBM Hospital in Bikaner for treatment. Police said several victims sustained serious injuries, while the condition of one injured passenger remains critical.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and efforts are underway to trace the absconding truck driver.