Bhopal/Vidisha Dec 29 (IANS) What began as a joyful birthday celebration ended in heartbreak early Monday morning when a car carrying six young friends rammed into a parked dumper truck on the roadside in the Kurwai area of Vidisha district in Madhya Pradesh.

Three occupants died on the spot, while the other three sustained critical injuries. The accident occurred around 1:30 a.m. (Monday morning) as the group was returning home to Kurwai after celebrating a birthday late into the night at a Dhaba (eatery) on State Highway 14.

The locality is known as Melua chouraha.

Police officials indicate that the car, travelling at high speed, collided violently with the stationary dumper truck parked along the highway. The impact was so severe that the front portion of the car was completely mangled, trapping the victims inside the wreckage. The dumper truck also sustained significant damage.

Upon receiving information about the crash, local police rushed to the scene and launched a challenging rescue operation.

Authorities deployed cutters and even earthmoving machinery to extricate the trapped individuals from the twisted metal. Despite the efforts, three young men could not be saved.

“The deceased have been identified as Ankit Sahu (21), a worker in a private firm; Tanay Sharma (19), who was a worker at Jagdish Sahu (31), who also died in the accident. Jagdish Sahu (31) owns a shop. He was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident,” Shailendra Nayak, the investigation officer said, adding, “they were returning home after celebrating Tanay Sharma’s birthday, who worked at Jagdish Sahu’s shop.”

The three survivors, reported to be in critical condition, are Monty Ahirwar, Jagdish Gond, and Tanmay Srivastava. They received initial treatment at the Kurwai community health centre before being shifted to Vidisha district hospital for advanced care.

“One of them, Monty, is very critical and was further sent to Bhopal for advanced medical treatment,” the officer said.

Preliminary investigations suggest that poor visibility, possible high speed or any vehicle with white LED lights coming from the opposite direction restricted visibility, and the parked truck without adequate reflectors or warning signs may have contributed to the tragedy.

Authorities have registered a case and are probing the exact cause, including whether negligence by the dumper driver played a role. “The postmortem of all three bodies has been performed, and their last rites have also been performed by family members,” the officer said, adding, “This was a heart-wrenching accident.”

On being asked if the driver was under the influence of alcohol, the officer said, “We are investigating all angles, and only proper analysis of the post-mortem report will ascertain the cause of the accident.”

The incident has once again highlighted concerns over road safety on highways, especially at night, where improperly parked heavy vehicles pose serious risks.

–IANS

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