Eight killed as tempo traveller falls into drain on Delhi–Mumbai Expressway

• At least eight people were killed and around nine injured when a tempo traveller plunged into a drain off the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Kota district.

• The passengers, relatives from Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, were travelling to the Khatu Shyam Temple in Sikar.

• Water and silt hampered rescue efforts, with cranes deployed to recover the vehicle and reach trapped passengers.

At least eight people from Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district were killed and around nine injured when their tempo traveller veered off the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and fell into a 15-foot-deep drain in Rajasthan on Saturday morning, police said.

The accident occurred at around 6 am near pole number 384 in Kota district, within the jurisdiction of Simliya police station.

The passengers were relatives from Ghatbiroli village under Multai police station, about 65 km from Betul district headquarters, Betul Superintendent of Police Virendra Jain told PTI.

Police said the group had left Bhopal at around 7 pm on Friday to visit the Khatu Shyam Temple in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. Kota Superintendent of Police Sujit Shankar said they were on a four-day tour and were heading towards the temple when the vehicle crashed.

Emergency teams began rescue operations, but water and silt inside the drain made it difficult to reach those trapped. Cranes were brought in to retrieve the damaged vehicle and rescue passengers.

Simliya Station House Officer Nand Singh said three ambulances had been deployed to transport the injured to nearby hospitals, including New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital.

In Betul, Multai Station House Officer Vikas Patel said he had visited the victims’ families and informed them of the deaths. Relatives were preparing to travel to collect the bodies.

With PTI inputs