As many as 22 people, including eight children, died when their tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district on Saturday morning, officials said.
Earlier, Inspector General of Aligarh range Shalabh Mathur had said that 24 passengers died in the accident and 15 to 20 people were injured.
However later, Relief Commission of Uttar Pradesh Naveen Kumar GS, citing a statement of Kasganj Additional District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Patel, said, "Twenty-two people died when the tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond."
"The deceased include 13 women, a man and eight children. Ten people are currently undergoing treatment," the statement said.
The Kasganj district administration said that Rs 4 lakh will be provided to the kin of each of the deceased, while Rs 50,000 will be provided to each of the injured persons.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that Rs 2 lakh ex gratia from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured would be given Rs. 50,000.
The passengers of the ill-fated tractor-trolley belonged to Etah district and they were going to take a bath in the Ganga river on Poornima (full moon).
According to the Kasganj district administration, information about the accident in Daryavganj village was received around 10 am. "A number of people died while others were injured. The injured were sent to the community health centres in Patiyali and Kasganj, and a government hospital in Kasganj," it said.
"The tractor-trolley was coming from Jaithara in Etah district. I am going to the spot with the divisional commissioner (of Aligarh)," Mathur had said earlier, adding that the bodies of the deceased would be handed over to their families after post-mortem.
President Droupadi Murmu termed deaths in the accident "heart-wrenching".
In a post in Hindi on X, she said, "The death of several people, including women and children, when a tractor-trolley fell into a pond in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching. I express my deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and wish speedy recovery to those injured."
Terming the loss of lives as "heartbreaking" and "saddening", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Heartbreaking! The accident that took place when a tractor trolley fell into a pond in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh is saddening."
"My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in providing all possible help to the victims," he added in the post on X in Hindi.
In another post on X, Modi said, "An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Kasganj. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000."
Adityanath too took to X to condole the deaths in the accident.
"The loss of lives in a road accident in Kasganj district is extremely heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families. District administration officials have been instructed to provide proper free treatment to all the injured. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured," he said.
As locals searched for trapped children, a woman was seen wailing and searching for her child. An excavator was also pressed into action for the rescue work.
Praveen Kumar, a local involved in the initial rescue operation, told reporters that he fished out 15 bodies from the pond. "We sent the injured to hospital on whatever vehicles were plying on the road that time. The deceased were mostly women," he said.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also expressed sadness over the incident.
In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav said, "Very sad! The news of a large number of casualties in Kasganj when a tractor-trolley loaded with devotees returning after taking a bath in the Ganga overturned in a pond is extremely sad. Save people's lives by speeding up relief work. Wish for the speedy recovery of the injured."
He added that the government should give appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased.
Mayawati, in a post on X in Hindi, said, "The news of the death of about 22 devotees and injuries to many others when a tractor-trolley overturned in a pond in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh is very sad. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family. The government must provide all possible help to the affected families as soon as possible."
