A family travelling from Noida to Prayagraj for Chhath celebrations was killed in a Ganga Expressway accident near Sandi in Hardoi district, after their car collided with a divider and overturned on Wednesday afternoon, according to Live Hindustan – NCR.
The deceased were identified as 40-year-old Saurabh Upadhyay, his 35-year-old wife Menaka and their sons, seven-year-old Shivam and one-and-a-half-year-old Vyom. Saurabh was driving the car when it went out of control and hit the divider. Saurabh, Menaka and Shivam died at the spot, while Vyom, who was injured in the crash, later died in hospital.
The family lived in Nirala Apartment in Bisrakh, Noida. They were travelling to Prayagraj, where Saurabh’s parents lived in the Neemsarai Mundera area. The family had been preparing to celebrate Chhath together, and Menaka was reportedly due to observe the festival fast for the first time.
Saurabh’s father, Jai Govind Upadhyay, retired from the Air Force in 2020. Saurabh was his only son. His two sisters, Madhulika and Bhavna, reached the family home with their husbands after receiving news of the crash. The report said the family home, where relatives had been waiting for the visitors, filled with mourners after the deaths were confirmed.
Menaka was originally from Ghazipur, while her parents lived in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar. She was their only daughter. Saurabh and Menaka had married in 2018. The death of their two children left both families grieving, with the younger child, Vyom, due to celebrate his birthday in December.
The crash also affected the family’s residential community in Noida. A neighbour, Sandeep Singh, told the publication that he had met Saurabh and Menaka with friends just a day before the accident. Singh was originally from Naini, near Prayagraj.
The incident highlights the risks faced by families undertaking long inter-city journeys during festival periods, when expressways and highways see increased traffic. The supplied report attributes the crash to the car becoming uncontrollable before striking the divider, but does not provide further details on the vehicle’s speed, road conditions, weather, traffic volume, mechanical condition or the status of any official investigation.
The report does not specify whether any additional vehicles were involved or detail the action taken by police and highway authorities after the crash. Further information on the investigation and the circumstances leading to the collision would be required to establish the precise cause.
