Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): An SUV car rushing at a high-speed collided with a parked tractor-trolley near Kadari village of Chhatarpur on Saturday evening. The accident, which occurred amid heavy rainfall, claimed the lives of three people who were sitting under the trolley to shield themselves from the rain, while five others, including two children, were injured.

According to Civil Lines police, Akhilesh Yadav (18), a resident of Kutia village, had come to Chhatarpur’s Naugaon Road with his tractor-trolley filled with hay.

After unloading, he, along with his companions Narendra Yadav and Rahul Yadav, also aged 18, was returning to his village when it started raining heavily near Kadari.

Akhilesh parked the tractor on the roadside, and they all took shelter under the trolley. Meanwhile, Dharmendra Singh (40), Shailendra Singh (30), and Shailendra’s 4-year-old son, Keshu Raja, were also heading towards Didounia on a bike. Seeing the men under the trolley, they too stopped and joined them to avoid the rain.

Suddenly, a recklessly-driven SUV car, driven by Shakti Singh Solanki (45), lost control and crashed into parked bike before ploughing into the trolley. Shakti was travelling with his wife Dolly Raja and their 10-year-old son Dhananjay Singh from Chhatarpur to Khajuraho.

The collision resulted in the immediate death of Shakti Singh, Dharmendra Singh, and Shailendra Singh. The survivors, including 4-year-old Keshu Raja, 10-year-old Dhananjay Singh and the three men under the trolley, Akhilesh, Narendra and Rahul were grievously injured. Shakti’s wife Dolly Raja survived.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene after being alerted by passersby, transporting the injured and deceased to Chhatarpur district hospital. Three were declared brought dead on arrival. Chhatarpur ASP Vikram Singh visited the hospital to meet the injured and their families.