Six people lost their lives in a devastating head-on collision between an autorickshaw and a truck on the Sheikhpura–Sikandra Road (NH-333A) in Bihar on Tuesday afternoon. Police said the autorickshaw, which was overcrowded with 12 passengers, collided with a speeding truck during what is believed to have been an overtaking attempt. Four people died instantly at the crash site, while two others succumbed to their injuries later in the hospital.
The accident triggered immediate outrage in the surrounding villages. Residents rushed to the scene, helped transport the injured to Sadar Hospital, and later blocked the national highway in protest, demanding swift action and better road safety measures. While the autorickshaw driver sustained serious injuries and was taken for treatment, the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and fled, prompting police to launch a search operation.
The victims included several members of the same families. Fifty-five-year-old Seema Devi, also known as Asha Devi, was travelling to Patna for cancer treatment along with her son Rahul Yadav, 27; both died in the accident. Sixty-year-old Ahilya Devi and her 14-year-old granddaughter, Nisha Kumari, were also killed on the spot. Another victim, 45-year-old Rajkumar Sahu, who had returned from Delhi, died in the crash as well.
Nine-year-old Himanshu, who had been rushed for treatment after sustaining severe injuries, later passed away at a hospital in Pawapuri.
