Chandigarh: Six persons, including two children were killed and at least five others went missing after an overloaded mini-truck carrying pilgrims from Himachal Pradesh’s Naina Devi temple fell into Sirhind canal near Punjab’s Ludhiana district late on Sunday night.
Famous Mata Naina Devi temple is located in Bilaspur district of neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
Stating that divers had been engaged to fish out the bodies from the canal, senior officials who rushed to the spot said that the pick-up truck which carried around 29 pilgrims plunged into Sirhind canal from Jagera bridge on Malerkotla road near village Dehlon in Ludhiana district around 10 pm on Sunday.
Injured pilgrims who were saved had been taken to nearby hospitals in Ludhiana, Khanna and Ahmedgarh Mandi towns, the officials said and added that most of the pilgrims were natives of village Manakwal of Ludhiana district.
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The devotees said that the driver of the vehicle – which was overloaded and recklessly driven – was overtaking a vehicle when he lost control and the vehicle fell into the Sirhind canal. According to police, driver Gurwinder Singh, 28, had been rescued safely and was being questioned about the accident.
Some of the residents of Manakwal village who had also reached the spot said that about 29 people from the village had gone to Mata Naina Devi temple to pay obeisance on July 26 last in a pick-up vehicle and were returning home when the accident happened.
