A tractor towing a trailer full of pilgrims returning from a temple in India overturned on Saturday and fell into a pond, killing up to 27 people, Indian media said. The accident, which also left 22 people injured, occurred in the city of Kanpur, in the (northern) state of Uttar Pradesh, according to The Times of India newspaper.
Another news outlet gave a somewhat lower death toll. The tractor-trailers brought back Hindu pilgrims from the Chandrika Devi temple, according to media reports.
“heartbreaking” accident
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences on Twitter. “My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones and loved ones and my prayers are with the injured,” Modi said.
Uttar Pradesh Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed that such vehicles – tractors pulling large trailers – should only be used to transport agricultural produce and cargo, not people.
“The accident in Kanpur district is truly heartbreaking,” he said.
