Two Devotees Killed, Four Injured as Car Falls Into River on Way to Maihar on First Day of Navratri

Two devotees from Uttar Pradesh died and four others were injured when their vehicle fell into the Jhuri River in Chitrakoot district while they were on their way to Maihar to visit the Sharda Mata temple. The accident took place at about 3 am on the first day of Navratri, and the report was published on October 11.

The group, all from Kanpur, had nearly reached Maihar when the vehicle went off the road. Passers-by entered the river to pull the occupants out, and the injured were taken to hospital. Police and a Dial 112 team arrived later to help with the rescue.

The dead were identified as Sunil Gupta, about 50, and Himanshu Singh Sengar, 30, both from Kanpur. The injured are Rajkumar Gupta, 37, of Hamirpur, and Gopal Tiwari, 42, Deepak Tiwari, 35, and Rahul Pandey, 35, all from Kanpur. They are receiving treatment.

Families were informed and travelled from Kanpur to collect the bodies. Police said the preliminary cause was that the car suddenly lost control and fell into the river, and a detailed investigation is under way. Post-mortems were to be conducted once the families arrived.

The photograph with the original report was an AI-generated illustration, not a picture from the scene.

Large numbers of pilgrims travel at night to reach Maihar in time for the early morning darshan during Navratri. Police and the administration usually advise devotees to avoid driving when tired, to take regular breaks and to follow speed limits on the approach roads, particularly near rivers and bridges.