3 killed after speeding bike crashes into parked tractor-trolley in UP's Sonbhadra

A devastating road accident claimed the lives of three young men, including two brothers, after a speeding motorcycle rammed into a stationary tractor-trolley late Thursday evening near Dhobahi village in the Robertsganj Kotwali area of Sonbhadra district.

The incident occurred on the Robertsganj–Khaliari State Highway when a Pulsar motorcycle, reportedly moving at very high speed, crashed into a tractor-trolley loaded with bamboo poles that was parked on the roadside. Police said the tractor-trolley had no warning indicators or reflectors, making it difficult to spot in low visibility conditions.

The impact of the collision was so severe that 24-year-old Ravi Sharma, his younger brother Manish Sharma (22), both residents of Rajgarh in Mirzapur district, and 18-year-old Shubham, a resident of Darban village, died on the spot. All three were rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Another youth, 19-year-old Avinash Sharma of Rajgarh, sustained critical injuries in the crash. After receiving first aid at the district hospital, he was referred to the Varanasi Trauma Centre for advanced treatment. Of the four riders, only the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet, police said.

Eyewitnesses told the police that the motorcycle was travelling at a very high speed. When the riders suddenly noticed the tractor-trolley parked on the roadside, they were unable to control the vehicle, leading to the fatal collision. Residents rushed to the scene after hearing the loud crash, but the victims had already succumbed to their injuries.

Station House Officer Madhav Singh said the four youths had gone to their maternal grandparents’ village in Kusumha near Nai Bazar earlier in the day and were returning home when the accident took place near Dhobahi Apchhor village, under the jurisdiction of the Nai Bazar police outpost.

Preliminary investigation points to overspeeding and poor visibility as the primary causes of the accident. Police have taken the bodies into custody for post-mortem examination and have launched a search for the tractor-trolley driver, who fled the scene after the crash.

The tragedy triggered scenes of grief in the victims’ villages, with families and locals left inconsolable after the sudden loss of young lives.