A devastating road accident claimed the lives of four individuals, including a prominent 75-year-old Islamic scholar, in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district late Sunday night. The victims were traveling in a Creta car that rammed into the back of a moving dumper on the Haridwar road near Jalpur village. The collision, which occurred around 11:30 PM, was so severe that the vehicle was left completely mangled, necessitating a complex rescue operation by the police and locals.
The deceased have been identified as Qari Iqbal (75), Ashfaq (65), Ehtesham (25), and Salauddin (26). According to Najibabad Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh, Qari Iqbal had just finished delivering a sermon at a madrassa program in Rahatpur Khurd. The other three men, who were also residents of nearby areas, had offered to drop him off at home after the event concluded. Unfortunately, the journey cut short just a few kilometers away from their destination.
Preliminary investigations by the Nangal police suggest that poor visibility due to winter fog and excessive speed might have contributed to the tragedy. The impact was so high that all four occupants died on the spot. It took rescuers significant effort to cut open the doors of the mangled car to retrieve the bodies. The driver of the dumper reportedly fled the scene immediately after the crash, and a manhunt has been launched to locate him.