Mau: A devastating road accident in Mau claimed the lives of five people early Saturday morning after an SUV lost control and collided with a trailer on the Gorakhpur–Varanasi four-lane highway, police said.
According to officials, the victims were returning to Gorakhpur from Ranchi following a family wedding. The group included Vinay Srivastava (60), his wife Archana Srivastava (58), their son Kritarth Srivastava (27), and two drivers, Purushottam (47) and Nitish (46).
Preliminary investigations indicate that the accident occurred near Kusumha Basharatpur when the driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel. The vehicle first rammed into a road divider before crossing into the opposite lane, where it crashed head-on into a trailer.
The impact of the collision was severe, leaving the SUV completely wrecked and trapping all occupants inside. Rescue operations were carried out by local police and emergency teams, who worked for over two hours to cut open the vehicle and retrieve the bodies.
Officials confirmed that all five occupants died at the scene. The bodies were later sent to the district hospital for post-mortem examination, and the families of the deceased have been informed.
Police have removed the damaged vehicles from the highway and restored traffic movement. An investigation is underway to establish the full sequence of events leading to the fatal crash.
