Hisar, April 30
Nine women were killed and 17 persons injured when their canter collided with an oil tanker on the Delhi-Hisar national highway on the outskirts of the city in the wee hours this morning.
The victims were coming from Delhi and were on their way to Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa to attend a discourse session. The 44 devotees, hailing from the Maujpur and Shahdara areas of Delhi and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, set out on their journey for the dera after 11 last night.
When their canter was near Vidya Devi Jindal School between Mayyad village and Hisar cantonment around 3.15 am today, it collided with an oil tanker coming from the opposite direction. According to police sources and eyewitnesses, the oil tanker was on the wrong side and the two vehicles collided despite an attempt by the canter driver to prevent the accident.
The residents of nearby areas and police personnel from the Hisar cantonment police post rushed to the site and took out the injured persons. While four women were killed on the spot, five succumbed to their injuries later.
The district police chief, Mr Arshinder Singh Chawla, and other senior police and administrative officials rushed to the accident site on getting information in this regard.
The deceased women include Poonam Malhotra (40), Shanti Devi (65), Pushpa (60), Moorti (45), Guddi (35), Prakashi (55), Ganga Devi, Kiran and Mamta.
