Eight people were killed after a Tempo Traveller plunged into a rainwater drain on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Kota district. (Img: X)
Kota: A devastating road accident on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Kota district claimed eight lives on Saturday morning, October 17, after a Tempo Traveller carrying passengers from Madhya Pradesh towards Rajasthan reportedly went out of control and plunged into a deep rainwater drain below a culvert. Several passengers sustained injuries, with some reports indicating that more than a dozen people were hurt.
The accident occurred at approximately 6 am to 7 am in the jurisdiction of the Simliya police station, near kilometre marker 384 of the expressway. The vehicle was travelling towards the Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Rajasthan, according to police accounts cited in initial reports. Another report said it was heading towards Jaipur.
The force of the impact left the vehicle severely mangled, with its front section reportedly crushed in the collision. Passengers were trapped inside the wreckage, prompting an emergency rescue operation involving local police and other personnel.
District Collector Peeyush Samariya confirmed that eight passengers had been brought dead to hospitals. He said critically injured victims had been shifted to intensive care units, where treatment was initiated. The injured were taken to Medical College New Hospital and MBS Hospital in Kota.
The exact number of injured passengers varied across initial reports, with some accounts putting the figure above six and others reporting more than 12. The casualty figures may be revised as further information becomes available from hospitals and authorities.
Preliminary information suggests that driver fatigue may have contributed to the accident. Simliya police station in-charge Nand Singh indicated that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to veer out of control.
According to the police account, the Tempo Traveller had crossed the Karadiya toll plaza and was proceeding towards Sultanpur when the accident occurred. The vehicle reportedly struck the divider before plunging from the middle of the culvert into the drain below.
The vehicle’s speed is also suspected to have intensified the impact. However, the precise sequence of events and the factors responsible for the crash will require further investigation.
Driver fatigue, excessive speed and loss of vehicle control are recognised road-safety risks, particularly on long-distance highway journeys. Investigators will need to establish whether fatigue, speed, road conditions or other factors contributed to Saturday’s tragedy.
Emergency responders rushed to the accident site after receiving information about the crash. Police personnel worked to extract the injured passengers and recover the bodies of those who died, while the damaged vehicle posed additional challenges for rescue teams.
The presence of accumulated rainwater and silt inside the drain reportedly hampered rescue efforts. Cranes were deployed to retrieve the wrecked vehicle and assist in rescuing passengers who remained trapped inside.
The injured were subsequently transported to hospitals in Kota. Critically injured passengers were shifted to intensive care units for urgent medical attention.
The administration’s immediate priority remained the treatment of survivors and the completion of rescue-related procedures. Further details concerning the identities of the deceased, the condition of the injured and the circumstances leading to the accident were awaited in the initial reports.
The vehicle was carrying passengers from Madhya Pradesh towards Rajasthan. Initial reports identified the destination as the Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Khatu, a major pilgrimage site that attracts devotees from across the country.
The journey ended in tragedy on one of India’s key highway corridors, raising fresh concerns about passenger safety, driver alertness and vehicle control on high-speed expressways.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a major infrastructure corridor designed to improve connectivity between northern and western India. However, the risks associated with fatigue during long-distance travel remain a critical road-safety concern, particularly when drivers operate vehicles for extended periods without adequate rest.
Saturday’s crash has highlighted the potentially devastating consequences of a momentary loss of control on a high-speed road. A definitive assessment of the cause will depend on the findings of the police investigation.
In a separate accident reported earlier this week, two people were killed and three others rescued after a taxi plunged into a deep gorge near Pali Pulia on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway in Uttarakhand.
The vehicle was travelling from Chandigarh when the accident occurred. According to Kirti Nagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pankaj Bhatt, five people were travelling in the vehicle, of whom two died at the scene and three were rescued.
Police and State Disaster Response Force personnel reached the location and launched a rescue operation. The three survivors were taken to the nearest health centre and were reported to be out of danger.
Although the incidents occurred in different locations and under separate circumstances, they underline the continuing risks associated with road travel and the importance of rapid emergency response following serious highway accidents.
The Kota accident is expected to remain under investigation as authorities work to establish the precise cause of the crash and verify the circumstances surrounding the deaths and injuries.
The possibility of driver fatigue and excessive speed has emerged in preliminary accounts, but the findings of the investigation will be necessary to determine the factors responsible.
For now, the tragedy has left eight people dead and several others injured, turning a journey from Madhya Pradesh towards Rajasthan into a devastating highway disaster. Further official updates are expected to clarify the final injury count, the identities of those involved and the circumstances that led the vehicle to plunge into the drain.
