6 killed as truck crashes into e-rickshaw after hit-&-run in Banda

Kanpur: Six people were killed and five others seriously injured after a sand-laden truck, fleeing after a hit-and-run, rammed into an e-rickshaw in Banda late Wednesday.The truck overturned after the accident, following which the driver fled the scene. A heavy police force was deployed in the area and efforts were launched to trace the absconding driver.According to reports, Rameshwar (61), a retired teacher and resident of Ghoori village, was returning home on a bicycle when the speeding truck coming from Khurhanda hit him. As locals chased the truck, the driver sped away. About 2 km ahead on Oran Road, he lost control of the wheel, colliding head-on with an e-rickshaw.Five occupants of the e-rickshaw — Mamta (48), Rakesh (45), Shahbaz (12), Sohanlal (50) and Naveen (40), all residents of Korrahi village — died on the spot.Sohanlal’s wife Bauri (49), daughter Shivkali (17), and another passenger, Shabana (40), along with her three-month-old daughter Safia, sustained serious injuries.The incident sparked outrage among villagers, who blocked the road and staged a protest. Senior police and administrative officials rushed to the spot and pacified the crowd. With the help of locals, police shifted the injured to the hospital, where the condition of some victims remains critical.DM Amit Aasery said the three passengers died instantly, while two succumbed to injuries during treatment.