Lucknow: Four people, including a tractor driver, were killed after a tractor-trolley loaded with bricks overturned on the Lucknow-Sultanpur Highway in Gosainganj early Saturday.The accident took place around 4.45 am near Gangaganj, when the hitch pin connecting the tractor to the trolley reportedly snapped, causing the vehicle to go out of control and crash into a highway barricade before overturning. Three men died on the spot, while a fourth succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to a trauma centre.The deceased were identified as Pitambar Rawat (35), Sandeep Rawat (25), Pawan Rawat (25) and Balram Rawat alias Ram Kishore (20), all residents of Barabanki district.Police, fire personnel and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials launched a rescue operation after receiving information about the crash. An NHAI crane was pressed into service to remove the overturned trolley and free those trapped underneath. The victims were rushed to Gosainganj Community Health Centre, where doctors declared three of them dead. The fourth died on the way to a trauma centre.According to police, Pitambar was driving the tractor while the other three were employed at a brick kiln and were engaged in loading and unloading bricks. The vehicle was attached to an RBF brick kiln in Achchhakamau village under Barabanki’s Kothi police station area.The tragedy has devastated the victims’ families, many of whom depended entirely on the deceased for their livelihood.Twenty-year-old Balram was the sole breadwinner of his family. His father, Ram Suresh, said the brick kiln was barely a kilometre from their home and that Balram had left for work around 3 am after receiving a call from the kiln. Balram’s younger brother, Ram Naval, informed the family about the accident around 5 am.“My son’s death has shattered our family,” Ram Suresh said, adding that the family, comprising Balram’s mother and five siblings, now faces an uncertain future. He appealed to the government for financial assistance.Driver Pitambar leaves behind his mother Rama Devi, wife Neelam, daughter Shanti and two sons, Ankesha and Lilesh.Pawan Rawat had started working at the brick kiln only four days before the accident, according to his brother-in-law Sonu. He is survived by his mother Kusuma Devi, wife Sushma, brother Dinesh and infant daughter Aarohi, who was born in April this year.Sandeep, meanwhile, was one of seven siblings, his brother Sunil said.Additional DCP (South Zone) Vasanth Kumar Rallapalli said the bodies had been sent for post-mortem and further investigations were underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to the crash. Traffic on the highway was regulated during the rescue operation.
