Eight killed in Kota expressway crash carrying pilgrims

Eight people died after a passenger vehicle carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh crashed into a drain beside the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Kota district, Rajasthan, on Saturday, October 17, officials said. The vehicle was heading toward Khatu Shyam temple, according to officials and police accounts reported after the crash. Kota District Collector Piyush Samariya said eight people had died. Kota Rural Superintendent of Police Sujeet Shankar also reported eight deaths and said the surviving passengers received medical treatment. The crash’s exact cause had not been established, and authorities were verifying passenger details. Reports differed on the number of people aboard and the number injured. One account said the minibus carried about 23 passengers and that 15 people were injured; another estimated around 20 passengers and reported 10 injured. A hospital official said New Medical College Hospital received 15 patients, including seven brought dead, while eight injured patients received care. These figures do not establish a final passenger or injury count. The vehicle left the roadway and plunged into a drain, according to multiple reports. Police accounts described...