7 women among 8 killed in Haryana vehicle pile-up

At least eight people died when dense fog led to a pile-up on a national highway in Haryana's Jhajjar district on Monday, police said.

Around 8-10 vehicles were involved in the crash that occurred due to poor visibility near the Badli flyover on the Rohtak-Rewari highway.

It was difficult to pinpoint which vehicle had hit the other first. An SUV was sandwiched between two trucks, with several vehicles following closely behind, a senior police officer said.

Eight people, including seven women, travelling in the SUV were killed and 10 others injured, said Inspector Seema, station house officer (city), Jhajjar.

The deceased, aged between 30-60, belonged to Kirodh village of the district. They were among the 10 people who were in the vehicle and were heading for Delhi's Najafgarh area to condole the death of a relative, the inspector said.

The injured were admitted to a hospital in Jhajjar town, from where two of them were referred to another hospital in Rohtak, she added.

The district deputy commissioner has constituted a seven-member committee, headed by the sub-divisional magistrate, to find out the exact reason behind the accident.

"The committee will submit a detailed investigation report within two days, along with solution/suggestion for rectification of the accident-prone spot," an order issued by the deputy commissioner said.

State agriculture minister O P Dhankar announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh each to the seriously-injured and Rs 50,000 each to the persons who have suffered minor injuries.