RAIPUR: Five people were killed in a head-on collision between a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and a speeding truck on National Highway 49 near Sukli village in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh.
Three others, who sustained severe injuries in the accident on Tuesday night, were fighting for their lives in the hospital, police officials said.
The victims, all residents of Navagarh, were returning from a wedding procession when their SUV smashed into an oncoming truck under the jurisdiction of the City Kotwali police station.
The force of the impact was so severe that both vehicles were left mangled beyond recognition, according to eyewitnesses and initial police reports.
Among the deceased were Vishwanath Devangan, aged 43, Rajendra Kashyap, 27, Pomeshwar Jaltare, 33, Bhupendra Sahu, 40, and the youngest victim, 22-year-old Kamalnayan Sahu.