Truck mows down Kanwar devotees in UP's Hathras, death toll rises to 6

Six persons, part of a group of Kanwar Yatra pilgrims on their way to Bhopal from Haridwar, were mowed to death by a speeding truck in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

The incident took place at 2:15 am today, and while five persons died on the spot, one person succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

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"5 dead, 1 seriously injured after seven Kanwar devotees were moved down by a truck around 2.15 am today, at Sadabad Police Station in Hathras. They were en route to Gwalior from Haridwar with their Kanwars," said Additional Director General of Police (Agra Zone), Rajeev Krishna.

The ADG said that a probe is underway and that they have received information about the driver who managed to flee from the spot. "He will be nabbed soon," the police official said.

'Kanwar Yatra' is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva's devotees in which devotees known as 'Kanwariyas' visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of the Ganges and then worship the God with the same water.

The Kanwar Yatra has resumed this year after a gap of two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. Administrations of several areas have adopting necessary measures to avoid any untoward incidents during the holy pilgrimage.