DHAR, Madhya Pradesh : At least 16 people, including six children, were killed and 30 injured when a pickup truck carrying labourers overturned on Wednesday night on the Indore–Ahmedabad national highway, officials said.
The vehicle, carrying about 46 workers, reportedly suffered a tyre burst around 8.30 pm near Chikaliya Phata and climbed a divider before flipping multiple times. It then veered onto the wrong side and collided with a Scorpio, eyewitnesses said, adding the pickup appeared to be travelling at around 100 kmph.
The dead include residents of Nayapura (9), Semlipura (5) and Rampura (2). Funeral rites were held on Thursday morning; in one instance, four women were cremated on a single pyre. Grief-stricken families were seen holding photographs and belongings of the deceased as the villages mourned.
A senior police officer who inspected the site said preliminary findings point to overspeeding. The officer also cited possible lapses in road engineering, noting the absence of signboards and stop signals at the turn. Authorities will write to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the issue, the officer said.
Police have registered a case and are continuing their investigation into the crash.
