7 killed, 5 injured in truck-car crash in India's Madhya Pradesh

NEW DELHI - At least seven people from a family were killed and five others injured on Sunday night after a car they were traveling in collided head-on with a dumper truck in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police said Monday.

The accident took place in Nagaud area of Satna district, about 424 km east of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.

The deceased included three women, three men and one child, a police official posted in Satna said.

According to the police official, the injured were sent to a hospital in Rewa.

Police said the family had gone to attend a condolence meeting in the adjacent Panna district and were on their way home when the accident happened.

"The intensity of the crash was such that the vehicle was badly mangled after colliding with the dumper truck," the police official said.

Following the accident, locals informed the police and helped them carry the dead and injured from the spot.

Police have registered a case to ascertain the reason behind the accident.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan Monday expressed his condolences with the bereaved families.

Deadly road accidents are common in India often due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

On average, over 400 deaths used to take place every day in India due to road accidents. However, the number sharply came down following the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent announcement of nationwide lockdown in India that saw public transport off the roads. With the government announcing relaxations, the movement of vehicular traffic has resumed.