Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): Six funeral processions were taken out from a house owned by Pandey family in Chouksey Nagar in Chhola on Saturday. The death toll in the road accident at Bijasan Ghat in Salkanpur located in Rehti town (Sehore district) rose to six after three more persons succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The six deceased include two elderly couples.
The seventh death in the family occurred at 4.30 pm on Saturday when of seven-month old Vyom succumbed to injuries at a private hospital. Three persons were killed on the spot and nine injured after their SUV hit a divider while coming down a road from a temple in Salkanpur on Friday evening, the police said.
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"Three more persons succumbed to their injuries at a hospital in Narmadapuram on Friday night, taking the toll to six in this accident," Rehti police station sub-inspector Nandram Ahirwar said. The six deceased include two couples - Sharda Prasad Pandey (72) his wife Aprna Pandey (60), Rajendra Pandey (70) and his wife Usha Pandey besides Pushpalata Awasthi (85) and driver Laxminarayan Chowkse. The incident took place at 6.15 pm and there were 12 people in the SUV.
They had come here for a function at a Saklanpur temple on a hillock some 120 km from the district headquarters. The accident occurred when the vehicle was on its way back to Bhopal. According to Chhola police, after the funerals of five family members were carried out 4 pm on Saturday, the seven-month old infant whose head-shaving ceremony was conducted in Salkanpur temple, succumbed to injuries.
All the neighbours of the family ensured their presence during the last rituals of the six family members. It was hard to believe for some that their neighbours have passed away.
What led to accident?
Father of the seven-month-old infant Mohit Pandey who survived the accident told Free Press that all the eleven members of their family, including him, set off for their journey back to Bhopal. The car driver Lakshminarayan failed to turn the car on a blind curve, owing to which the car hit the boundary wall and overturned. Mohit is a government employee posted in Gwalior. He married Shikha a year ago who was a school teacher.
These people lost lives in the accident
Rajendra Prasad Pandey, the head of the family, his brother, Sharda Prasad Pandey and driver Lakshminarayan died on the spot. On Friday night, Arpana Pandey, the wife of Sharda Prasad, Rajendra’s wife Usha, as well as distant relative of the family named Pushpalata Awasthi (85) died. The infant named Vyom died at 4.30 pm on Saturday. Box-3: Rajendra Pandey’s daughter was to get married in July 2024: Neighbours A neighbour of the family, named Prithiviraj Rajput told Free Press that Monika Pandey, the daughter of Rajendra Pandey, was to get married in July this year.
