According to police, the truck hit the car from behind with such force that the smaller vehicle was crushed and torn apart. All four occupants—two men and two women—died instantly after getting trapped inside the mangled car. Rescue teams later used a crane to pull the wreckage apart and retrieve the bodies.

The deceased were identified as Saurabh Sharma (24) of Mehgaon in Bhind district, Jyoti Yadav of Bhind, Bhure Prajapati of Gormi in Bhind, and Uma Rathore, wife of Ram Rathore, a resident of Moroli village in Bhind district. Police said all the victims belonged to the same district and were travelling towards Gwalior at the time of the accident.

Preliminary findings indicate that dense fog and over-speeding were the primary causes. Visibility in parts of Gwalior ranged between 200 and 500 metres on Friday morning, significantly affecting driving conditions. After striking the car, the truck veered off the road and crashed into bushes on the right side of the highway.

Police officials said the truck driver fled the scene immediately after the accident and remains absconding. A search operation has been launched to trace him. The truck involved in the accident bears registration number MP 07 HB 2801, while the car’s registration number is MP 07 ZF 5193.

Family members of the victims shared details of their journeys. Saurabh Sharma had returned from Agra after appearing for his BSc Agriculture examination and was travelling to Gwalior to appear for a polytechnic exam later in the day. The car belonged to his brother, Ankit Sharma, who said Saurabh had left home around 6 am. While heading towards Gwalior, Saurabh reportedly picked up other passengers along the route.

Jyoti Yadav’s sister, Neelam Yadav, said the family received information early in the morning about an accident near Malanpur. Jyoti had been travelling alone from Gormi and was on her way to Mathura. She is survived by two children.

Police reached the accident site shortly after receiving information and cleared the highway after completing rescue operations. Traffic was briefly disrupted but later restored. All four bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.

A case has been registered, and police said further investigation is underway to establish accountability and trace the absconding driver.