Sasaram: Three Maha Kumbh pilgrims, including a father-son duo, died and three others were seriously injured when their vehicle collided with a stationary truck on NH-19 at Chilabili village under the Kudra police station area in Kaimur district on Sunday morning. The victims were returning from Prayagraj after taking a holy dip at Sangam. According to SHO of Kudra police station, Vikas Kumar, the victims were identified as Meena Devi (50) from Sangrampur village in Lakhisarai, Amit Kumar (45) from Harinath Chowk in Patelnagar, Jamui and his father, Mahesh Rai.
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Following post-mortems at Bhabhua Sadar Hospital, the bodies were handed over to the families of the victims for the last rites. The accident occurred when the driver of the SUV, exhausted from the long journey, fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to crash into the parked truck. The injured passengers — Sushila Devi from Sikra village in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, driver Mohammad Kaushal, Sudha Devi and Soni Kumari from Eta village in Lakhisarai — were initially treated at Kudra Hospital before being referred to higher medical facilities. According to the police, more than 24 pilgrims have died and 50 others have been injured in similar accidents on NH-19 in Kaimur and Rohtas districts since the start of the Maha Kumbh. A common factor in these tragedies has been collisions with stationary heavy vehicles parked on the roadside, often due to driver fatigue. Every year, over 100 people are killed in collisions with stationary vehicles along the 220-kilometre stretch of NH-19 passing through four districts of Bihar. The lack of designated parking or resting areas on this highway, combined with inadequate enforcement by highway patrols and local police, has contributed to these repeated tragedies.
