Ferozepur : Nine people were killed and 18 injured after their pickup vehicle collided with a truck on the Ferozepur-Fazilka highway in Punjab on Saturday, police said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for families of the deceased and ₹50,000 each for those injured. The pickup vehicle was carrying a group of 30 people, mostly from Jalalabad and Ferozepur, who were going to Beas to immerse the ashes of a deceased relative in the Beas river, said a senior officer. The incident occurred near Janga Wala village at around 5.30am, he added. The deceased were identified as Karnail Singh (50), Bhupo Bai (50), Mahinder Singh (55), Maya Bai (70),Rajkumar (45), Jeeto Bai (55), Sukhwinder Kaur (12),all of whom were from Jalalabad, in addition to Vidya Bai (65) and Darshan Singh (65) from Ferozepur. “The pickup had been divided into two sections using a wooden plank, with some occupants seated underneath it and others travelling on top. The force of the collision left many passengers trapped or thrown out of the vehicle,” said an official aware of the matter. Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said that a case was registered and a probe to ascertain the cause of the collision was underway. Officers said the truck driver, who also sustained injuries, was absconding. Seven of those killed died on the spot, said officers. Those injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital in Ferozepur, where two others succumbed during treatment. Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma confirmed nine deaths so far and added that nine of those injured were referred to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot, where three remained in a critical condition in the intensive care unit. District administrations in both Ferozepur and Fazilka and Red Cross societies were coordinating assistance and cases eligible for compensation under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund were being processed, she added. “Deeply pained to hear about a mishap in Ferozepur district, Punjab. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Wishing a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Prime Minister wrote on X. Former Congress MLA from Jalalabad, Raminder Awla demanded the immediate widening of the congested Ferozepur–Fazilka highway, noting that commuters risk their lives daily on a stretch that has witnessed many accidents.