Four people were killed after an ambulance carrying the body of a deceased soldier from Chandigarh to Ghazipur crashed into a stationary truck on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district on Sunday morning, police said.

Four killed after an ambulance carrying a deceased soldier’s body crashed into a stationary truck on the Purvanchal Expressway.

The accident took place around 8am near Haliyapur, close to the Ayodhya-Sultanpur border. The ambulance went out of control and rammed into a truck parked along the roadside, leaving it badly damaged, police said.

Police suspect the deceased include the ambulance driver, a military personnel and two family members of the deceased soldier whose body was being transported to Ghazipur. They were working to establish the identities of the deceased and ascertain the circumstances leading to the accident.

The body of the soldier was kept at the Haliyapur police station following the accident. Relief and rescue teams reached the spot and launched operations.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the accident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He directed officials to immediately reach the spot and expedite relief and rescue operations.

The chief minister also directed officials to ensure proper treatment of those injured in the accident and instructed them to communicate with the families of the deceased and extend all possible assistance.

The ambulance’s association with the military had not been officially confirmed at the time of filing.