Bhopal, May 29 (IANS) Three persons were killed on Thursday in a tragic accident that occurred on the Damoh-Chhatarpur State Highway near Mara village in Madhya Pradesh when a government-owned sports utility vehicle collided with a motorcycle.

The impact was so severe that it instantly claimed the lives of three riders.

The victims, identified as Chandan Ahirwar (26), Sonu (25), and Sandeep Ahirwar (24), were residents of Vadon Pahadi village in Tejgarh.

“They were coming back home after attending a wedding ceremony in Jerath village of Patharia tehsil the previous night when the accident took place. Following a post-mortem, their bodies were handed over to their families,” Abhishek Tiwari, city superintendent of police, told IANS.

According to the officers, the vehicle involved is used for official government duty; he, however, denied it was used for police duties.

“A case has been registered against the driver of the vehicle and the driver has been apprehended, and legal proceedings for negligent driving have been initiated against him,” the officer said, adding, “The victims were very critical, we took them to the nearby hospital, but they were declared brought dead.”

Eyewitnesses stated that the vehicle was moving at an alarmingly high speed, making it difficult to comprehend the moment of impact.

“We have completed formalities for arranging compensation to the next of kin of all the victims. The local revenue department officials arrived and provided proper compensation to the extent of Rs 40,000 for each of the families of the deceased. Other financial supports will also be provided to them as per rules under various government schemes,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, another fatal accident occurred earlier in the morning near Sundarpur village in Tikamgarh’s Kotwali police station area, where two motorcycles collided head-on.

The crash resulted in the immediate deaths of two individuals, identified as Bhagwat Lodhi from Sundarpur Chopra and Dhaniram Lodhi from Nipsai Talmau, police said.

Two other people, including a woman, sustained injuries and were transported to the district hospital for medical treatment.

The bodies of the deceased were also sent for post-mortem. An officer of the Kotwali police station said that the injured are undergoing treatment in the district hospital. The matter is under investigation.

–IANS

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