Delhi family of four returning from Kumbh killed in car crash on Lucknow-Agra Expressway

"The family was returning from Prayagraj to their home in Delhi's Uttam Nagar. Preliminary investigation suggests the driver might have dozed off. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and their family members have been informed," said ACP (Agra) Amar Deep, as quoted by the Times of India.

According to an eyewitness, the hatchback car first collided with a roadside divider and then overturned into the opposite lane, where it was hit by a mini truck.

The car was severely damaged, and all four died from fatal injuries. Police pulled the bodies from inside the vehicle, and later cranes were used to remove the mangled remains from the e-way.

The e-way has seen several major accidents recently. In November of last year, six family members were killed and at least 20 others injured when a tempo traveller collided with a stationary canter on the e-way.

In December, eight people died and 19 were injured when their bus overturned after crashing into a water tanker on the same stretch in Kannauj. Preliminary police investigations in both incidents indicated that the drivers had fallen asleep at the wheel.

“Exhausted drivers who doze off at the wheel are responsible for about 40% of road accidents,” according to a study report compiled by the Central Road Research Institute on the 302-km long e-way.