Moga, May 7
Eighteen persons, including six women and five children, were killed in a head-on collision between a Canter and a truck near Ghal Kalan village on the Moga-Ferozepur national highway in the wee hours here today.

The victims hailed from Daulatpura Uchha and Daulatpura Niwan villages of the Moga district. They were returning home in the Canter (HP-73-1054) after paying obeisance at the Nanaksar Kaleran gurdwara situated in the Jagraon subdivision of Ludhiana district.

The accident took place around 2 am. While 14 persons were killed on the spot, four others died in a Moga hospital. No one travelling in the Canter could survive.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the speeding truck (PB-29G-9765) crashed head-on with the Canter while trying to overtake some vehicle. Satpal Singh Bhangu SP (D) said the truck driver fled from the spot leaving behind his vehicle.

A criminal case under Sections 304, 427 and 279 of the IPC has been registered against the truck driver. He has been identified as Sukhwinder Singh of Kotkaror village of Ferozepur district.

Owner of the Canter Pala Singh was also killed in the accident. Eleven members of Pala Singh’s family, including him, were killed in the accident. The other members of his family who were killed included his wife Charanjit Kaur, sons Surjit Singh and Ranjit Singh, daughters-in-law Inderjit Kaur and Ranjit Kaur, grandsons Gurpreet Singh, Taranbir Singh and Ranbir Singh and granddaughters Manpreet Kaur and Sanpreet Kaur.

Another family of Daulatpura Niwan village lost five members in the accident. The two other persons killed in the accident were identified as Jaswant Singh and Surinder Kumar. Moga DM Arshdeep Singh Thind announced that the administration would bear expenses for the cremation of victims.