Four people died and seven were injured when two vehicles left the Delhi‑Mumbai Expressway and fell into a 30‑foot ditch in Ratlam district, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday.
The first crash involved a Punjabi family; 67‑year‑old Narendra Kaur and her 32‑year‑old daughter‑in‑law Manpreet Kaur were killed, while four other occupants sustained injuries, Prakash Gadaria, station in‑charge, confirmed.
The second vehicle, carrying Gujarat residents Ravi Hatila (35) and Ramesh Makwana (50), also plunged into the ditch after the guardrail failed, killing both men and injuring three passengers, DSP Yuvraj Singh Chauhan reported.
Police are probing whether a mechanical defect or driver error triggered the dual accidents and are reviewing footage from toll‑gate cameras; this expressway, a vital link between Delhi and Mumbai, has seen a rise in high‑speed collisions in recent months.
A Ratlam shopkeeper who witnessed the events said the sudden tragedy rattled the town’s evening routine, and he has offered his home to the wounded families.