Five Dead, Three Critically Injured as SUV Collides Head-On with Truck in Chhattisgarh

Five persons lost their lives and three others sustained life-threatening injuries when the Sports Utility Vehicle they were travelling in was crushed in a violent head-on collision with a speeding truck near Sukli village in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. All eight occupants, residents of the same neighbourhood in Nawagarh, had attended a wedding function earlier that evening and were heading home in high spirits when the devastating accident occurred on a poorly lit stretch of the highway.

The sheer force of the impact left the SUV unrecognisable, its frame twisted and crumpled beyond repair. Police confirmed that five passengers — Vishwanath Dewangan (43), Rajendra Kashyap (27), Pomeshwar Jaltare (33), Bhupendra Sahu (40), and Kamlanayan Sahu (22) — died instantly at the scene, their bodies trapped within the mangled wreckage for nearly an hour before rescue teams could extricate them. The tragic irony of returning from a celebration of union to meet such a horrific end has left the entire community in profound shock.

The three survivors, whose identities are yet to be officially released, were pulled from the debris in critical condition and immediately shifted to a government hospital in Janjgir. Doctors attending them reported multiple traumatic injuries, severe internal bleeding, and fractures, with all three listed in intensive care and fighting for their lives. Medical staff have described their prognosis as guarded, pending further surgical intervention.

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Local police and emergency services reached the spot shortly after midnight following distress calls from passing motorists. The truck driver fled the scene abandoning the vehicle, prompting authorities to launch a manhunt while registering a case under sections of rash and negligent driving causing death and grievous injury. Preliminary examination suggests the collision may have resulted from high speed and possible lane deviation in low-visibility conditions.

A detailed investigation is underway, with forensic teams examining both vehicles, road conditions, and CCTV footage from nearby toll plazas to establish the exact sequence of events. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination, and the district administration has assured all possible assistance to the grieving families as the small town of Nawagarh mourns the sudden and senseless loss of five young lives.

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