New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) A tragic road accident in the early hours of Friday claimed the lives of five people and left four others critically injured when an uncontrolled SUV crashed into a roadside tree along the Etawah-Agra highway in Uttar Pradesh.

The victims were returning from a pilgrimage to the famous Kela Devi temple in Rajasthan when the accident occurred near Pai village in the Chitrahat police station area, officials said.

According to initial reports from the local police, the vehicle was carrying a family of devotees late at night when it suddenly lost control and collided with a tree. The impact was so severe that the front section of the vehicle was heavily damaged, and glass fragments were found scattered across the road.

Senior local police officers told reporters that the victims included three men, one woman and a three‑year‑old girl. The deceased were identified as 70‑year‑old Kanta Prasad, his 35-year‑old son Devendra, 30‑year‑old daughter‑in‑law Seema, their 3‑year‑old granddaughter Aradhya and 20‑year‑old driver Rishi. The group had completed their ‘darshan’ at the sacred Kela Devi shrine before embarking on the journey back home to Etawah.

The victims were transferred to Safai Medical College Hospital in Etawah, a senior police official said, adding that the condition of the injured remains serious.

Authorities have seized the bodies and sent them for post-mortem, and are notifying the families of the deceased.

Eyewitnesses and local residents said that villagers and passersby reached the scene following the sound of the crash and helped rescue workers extract the victims from the mangled vehicle. Distressed family members gathered at the hospital and the accident spot, where shock and grief overtook the community.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash, with preliminary enquiries suggesting that the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, causing the SUV to veer off course. Detailed findings are awaited as authorities continue their probe.

–IANS

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