A tractor pulling a trolley packed with pilgrims returning from a shrine in India overturned Saturday and plunged into a pond, killing as many as 27 peo-ple, Indian media reported.
The accident in the city of Kanpur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh left another 22 people injured, The Times of India reported.
Other news media gave slightly lower death tolls. The tractor-trolley was bringing Hindu pilgrims back from the Chandrika Devi temple, reports said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his con-dolences in a tweet. “Distressed by the tractor-trolley mishap took place in Kanpur. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones and prayers with the injured,” Modi said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said this kind of vehicle — a tractor pulling a large cart — should be used only to transport farm goods and freight, not people, The Hindu said.
“The road accident in Kanpur district is very heart-wrenching,” he said.—AFP
