Guna, April 4 A road accident on National Highway-46 in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district on Saturday claimed the life of an elderly woman and left five other members of the same family seriously injured when their car plunged into a 40-foot-deep gorge after crashing into a divider, officials said.
The family, hailing from an ancestral village, was returning from a sacred pilgrimage to the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain and Omkareshwar.
They had offered prayers at both Jyotirlingas and were heading to Gwalior to attend a religious "Kirtan" organised by a relative, with plans to return home on Sunday.
The tragic incident occurred when the car suddenly lost control, hit the highway divider, and tumbled down the deep gorge.
Anita Agarwal, an elderly woman in the family, died on the spot.
The other five occupants sustained severe injuries.
One of the survivors Lokesh Dwivedi, who was travelling with his family, told police that his brother was driving the car.
Suddenly, the vehicle went out of control, struck the divider, and plunged straight into the gorge. As a result, of which everything went dark before his eyes for a few moments.
"Before I could understand what was happening, the car had overturned," Dwivedi told the police.
The injured persons have been identified as Gopal Agarwal, Girdhar Agarwal, Shivanya Agarwal (a young girl), Krishivi Agarwal, and Lokesh Dwivedi.
Local residents and police rushed to the spot and helped rescue the victims, who were immediately shifted to the District Hospital in Guna for emergency treatment. They are currently undergoing medical care.
Upon receiving information about the accident, Guna police reached the site and launched rescue and investigation operations.
A case of accidental death has been registered, and further probe is underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Police have also informed the family members about the incident.
The accident has sent shockwaves through the local community, especially as the victims were returning from a holy pilgrimage.
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