LUCKNOW: Four people, including the only son, brother and nephew of a deceased Army officer, were killed when the ambulance carrying his body from Panchkula to Deoria rammed into a stationary truck on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district on Sunday morning.The deceased were identified as Gaurav Singh (18), the only son of Subedar Major Satyawan Singh; Ram Samujh (55), the soldier’s brother; Rajan Singh (35), his nephew and relative; and ambulance driver Jaspal.The accident occurred around 8.15am near Haliyapur on the Ayodhya-Sultanpur border, around kilometre marker 79.6 of the expressway.According to police, the ambulance was travelling from Panchkula to Deoria carrying the mortal remains of Subedar Major Satyawan Singh when it crashed into a truck parked on the roadside. The impact was so severe that the front portion of the ambulance was completely mangled.Gaurav and driver Jaspal, who were seated in the front, died on the spot. The driver’s body became trapped inside the wreckage and had to be extricated by cutting open the vehicle with a gas cutter.The other two passengers, Ram Samujh and Rajan Singh, were rushed to a government hospital in Ayodhya. Both succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
Family was returning with soldier’s mortal remains
Police said Subedar Major Satyawan Singh, a resident of Rudrapur in Deoria, was serving in the Army and had been posted in Meerut. He had been undergoing treatment at the Command Hospital in Chandigarh and had undergone a kidney transplant.He died in Panchkula three days before the accident.After his death, his brother Ram Samujh, nephew Rajan Singh and son Gaurav travelled to Panchkula to bring his body back to the family’s native place in Deoria.The three relatives left Panchkula around 4pm on Saturday in the ambulance, while other family members followed them in another vehicle.At around 8.15am on Sunday, the ambulance crashed into the stationary truck near Haliyapur.
Police suspect driver may have dozed off
According to police, a preliminary investigation suggests that the accident may have occurred after the ambulance driver possibly fell asleep at the wheel. Witnesses also told police that the ambulance appeared to be travelling at high speed before it suddenly went out of control and crashed into the truck.Police teams reached the spot after receiving information from passers-by and Dial 112. The bodies were taken into custody and sent for post-mortem examination.Officials are also examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area to establish the exact sequence of events.Sultanpur District Magistrate Indrajeet Singh said the deceased Army officer had been undergoing treatment at the Command Hospital in Chandigarh and had undergone a kidney transplant. He confirmed that three members of the soldier’s family and the ambulance driver died in the accident.Sultanpur Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said police received information about the accident through Dial 112 and immediately deployed a local police team to the spot. Further legal proceedings are underway.The mortal remains of Subedar Major Satyawan Singh were kept safely at Haliyapur police station with due respect following the crash, while arrangements were being made to hand them over to the family for the final journey.
