2 kids among 7 killed as dumper rams auto in UP

LUCKNOW: Seven people, including two children, were killed and two others seriously injured in a collision between a dumper truck and an autorickshaw in UP's Hardoi district on Thursday morning.Six people died on the spot while a 7-year-old boy was referred to Lucknow where he died during treatment. Two injured passengers are undergoing treatment at a health facility in Sandila in Hardoi.Police said the accident occurred around 9:45am on Sandila-Bangarmau road and all victims were travelling in the auto.The auto had nine occupants including the driver. Auto driver Ranjeet Singh (35) was among the deceased. The dumper driver fled after the collision but was arrested later, police said.Eyewitnesses said the collision was so severe that passengers were thrown on the road while the auto rickshaw got completely crushed. Passersby informed the police and dialled emergency services. Two ambulances and police teams from Sandila and Kasimpur reached the spot and rushed the injured to the Sandila community health centre.The route got blocked for nearly two hours after the accident. Hardoi SP Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said dumper driver Rakesh Kumar was arrested from Sursa near Hardoi after examining CCTV footage from nearby areas. The bodies of the victims were given to their families after postmortem, said the SP.