A youth suffered serious injuries in the accident and has been hospitalised.

Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh:

Nine people were killed when an SUV collided head-on with a container truck on the Lucknow-Prayagraj highway in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, police said.

A youth suffered serious injuries in the accident and has been hospitalised.

The SUV was going from Rajasthan to Bhojpur in Bihar when the accident took place near Wajidpur village in the Nawabganj area, about 70 km from Pratapgarh.

Those killed are three women, two children and four men, said Radheyshyam Maurya, the Police Circle Officer of Kunda. They are yet to be identified, he said.

The driver of the container truck managed to flee from the spot after the accident.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolence to the families of those who died in the accident and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured.