At least 27 people – mostly women and children – were killed after a trailer they were riding in crashed into a pond in India, a local report said.
About 40 people were returning from a religious ceremony at Chandrika Devi Temple when the tractor-pulled van lost control and fell into the water.
Video taken at the scene shows rescue workers desperately pulling the victims out of the submerged “tractor truck” in near total darkness.
Some stand atop the trailer to see the victims in the water while sobbing and wailing is heard.
A rescuer is seen pulling a small child out of the water and handing it to another rescuer.
Up to 20 injured drivers were taken to hospital in Bheetergaon, where many were pronounced dead.
All of the victims were residents of the village of Kortha, The Hindustan Times reported. They were returning from a “secular” ceremony where a barber saves a baby’s head for the first time.
“The traffic accident in Kanpur district is very heartbreaking,” Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Twitter. “The loss of life in this accident is very sad. My condolences are with the bereaved. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His feet and the families of the dead to bear this unfathomable loss.”
Adityanath has urged locals not to use tractors to transport people, the Sun said. The Chief Minister noted that the families of the deceased and injured survivors will be compensated for the tragedy.
Police are still investigating the accident and will announce the death toll in the coming days.