Five dead, one critically injured in head-on collision between tanker, SUV in Churu

Five people were killed and one person sustained critical injuries after their vehicles collided on the Churu-Hanumangarh Mega Highway late Tuesday night near Sardarshahar in Churu district, the police said.

Four of the victims were from Bikaner, while one was from Sikar. The collision between a tanker and an SUV was so severe that it took a crane to extricate the SUV from the wreckage.

The accident occurred around 2.30am when the SUV, coming from Sardarshahar towards Hanumangarh, collided head-on with the tanker coming from the opposite direction.

According to the police, prima facie the accident occurred due to speeding at a sharp curve at the spot. The crash was so intense that the SUV was trapped under the tanker.

Sardarshahar SHO Arvind Kumar said the deceased were identified as 26-year-old Kamlesh and 25-year-old Rakesh from Ranhasar; 33-year-old Pawan from Rajasar, Bikaner; Dhannraj from Sikar; and 23-year-old Nandlal, from Dungargarh. The tanker driver, Kishore Singh Rajput, was seriously injured.