INDORE: At least six people died, and 15 others were seriously injured when a traveller collided with a motorcycle before crashing into a tanker in Manpur early on Friday morning.
The accident occurred around 3.00 am, police said.
The traveller was carrying passengers from Belagavi, Karnataka, who were returning from a pilgrimage to the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain.
Four people died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries at MY Hospital in Indore. Hospital authorities confirmed that 17 injured individuals were admitted for treatment. Among them, 65-year-old Sagar and 50-year-old Neetu died during treatment. A child was placed in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, while others, suffering from fractures and injuries, were reported to be in stable condition.
Manpur Police station SI Ravi identified the deceased bikers as Himanshu from Dharampuri and Shubham from Sendhwa, both of whom died on the spot due to the impact of the crash.
The injured were identified as Savita (40), wife of Tukaram; Subhash Ren (35); Sheetal Ramchandra (27); Teerath (48), son of Ramchandra; Shruti (32), wife of Amar; Bhav Singh (36); Shiv Singh (31), son of Shrikant; Babita (56), wife of Fakira; Raju (63); Malwa (60), wife of Krishna; Sunita (50), wife of Shrikant; Prashant (52); Shankar (60); Lata (62); and Bangal Wadiyappa (55).
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The deceased were sent for post-mortem examination, police said.