The family was returning from Kashi Vishwanath darshan when the driver fell asleep and crashed into a parked truck; two young children survived.

A journalist and his wife were killed in a horrific road accident in Mirzapur early Sunday morning while returning from Kashi Vishwanath temple darshan. The crash occurred when the driver of their rented Artiga car allegedly dozed off and rammed into a truck parked on the roadside.

The deceased were identified as Vikas (35) and his wife Sonam (31), residents of Katni in Madhya Pradesh. Vikas worked as a media professional. The couple had travelled to Varanasi with their two young sons — Shivansh (4) and Rudra (one-and-a-half years old) — for darshan at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Four others in the car, including the driver, were seriously injured. The two children, however, escaped unhurt.

How the Accident Happened

The accident took place around 2 am on the Hanumana-bound lane in the Drumandganj police station area. The car was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control and hit the stationary truck.

The impact was so severe that the car was completely mangled, trapping the occupants inside. The truck's driver fled the scene, police said.

Local residents alerted the police, who arrived at the spot and used gas cutters to extract the bodies and the injured from the wreckage.

Saksham Tamrakar (17), the brother-in-law of deceased Vikas, recounted the events. "We left Varanasi around 10 pm and stopped at Singh Dhaba around midnight for dinner. After a short rest, we continued the journey. About 15-20 minutes later, I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital," he said.

Injured Shifted to Hospital

The injured — driver Heeralal (23), Himanshu Tamrakar (27), Saksham Tamrakar (17) and Radha (40) — all residents of Satna, were initially taken to Lalganj Community Health Centre. After primary treatment, they were referred to a better facility.

The Lalganj area officer and Drumandganj police station in-charge were present at the scene to oversee the relief and rescue operations.

Police have taken possession of the damaged car and the truck. A search is underway for the truck driver who fled the spot. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

This accident is the latest in a series of road fatalities in Uttar Pradesh involving vehicles returning from religious pilgrimages, raising fresh concerns over night travel safety and driver fatigue on state highways.