Bhopal, March 13
At least seven people died and three were severely injured in a road accident that occurred late Wednesday night on the newly built Badnawar-Ujjain four-lane under Badnawar police station in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district.

Police confirmed six fatalities, though unverified reports suggest a critically injured individual may have also succumbed.

Speaking to IANS briefly over the phone, Amit Kushwaha, the officer in charge of Badnawar Police Station, said the tanker, which was moving on the wrong side of the road, first struck the pickup before ramming into the car that was moving behind it.

The tanker was moving towards Ujjain while other vehicles were facing it from the opposite direction.

The incident occurred at around 11 p.m., the officer said. Four people died on the spot, while others sustained critical injuries and were rushed to Badnawar Civil Hospital, the officer said.

The number of deceased is yet to be confirmed as one person was critically injured and reportedly succumbed to injuries but could not be confirmed.

The officer further said the injured were taken to the hospital, and all three were critical. He, however, refused to give further details as the police team was busy extricating and managing transportation of injured persons to the hospital from the wreckage of vehicles.

Two individuals, trapped in the wreckage of the car and pickup, were later extricated with the help of a crane, other police sources said. The tanker driver fled the scene immediately after the accident, they said.

Police have launched a hunt for him.

The deceased, according to reports, were residents of Mandsaur, under the Sitamau police station area. They were reportedly returning to Mandsaur from Indore via Ujjain.

Police moved the mangled vehicles and the victims’ bodies to the Badnawar Civil Hospital. The post-mortem will be performed in the morning.

The identities of the victims are yet to be known as the accident was so severe that the pickup became wedged under the tanker, and it became difficult for the police to immediately ascertain their identities. According to other police sources, one occupant of the pickup died on the spot, while the other was rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, three of the four passengers in the car lost their lives instantly, and one injured individual was hospitalised.

Police investigations are going on to identify the victims and locate the absconding tanker driver.

Seven killed in MP as tanker collides with two vehicles