Ferozepur, June 7 -- Nine people were killed and 18 were injured in a collision between a pickup van and a truck on the Ferozepur-Fazilka road early on Saturday. Police said the victims, mostly from Jalalabad and Ferozepur, were travelling to Beas to immerse the ashes of a deceased relative when the accident occurred around 5.30am near Janga Wala village, 18km from Ferozepur. The truck driver, who also sustained injuries is absconding and efforts are on to track him, said officials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the mishap. In a social media post on Saturday, the PM conveyed his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs.2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs.50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. The impact of the collision was such that the front portion of the pickup van, packed with 25 passengers including women and children, was completely mangled, trapping several victims inside the wreckage. Local residents and passers-by rushed to rescue the victims before emergency services arrived. The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital in Ferozepur, where several victims succumbed during initial treatment. Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma confirmed nine fatalities so far and added that nine of the seriously injured have been referred to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot, where three remain in a critical condition in the intensive care unit, while others continue to receive medical attention in Ferozepur. The deceased have been identified as Karnail Singh, 50, Bhupo Bai, 50, Mahinder Singh, 55, Maya Bai, 70, Rajkumar, 45, Jeeto Bai, 55, Sukhwinder Kaur, 12, all residents of Jalalabad, Vidya Bai, 65 of Kandhewala village and Darshan Singh, 65 of Kamalewala village, both from Ferozepur. "A major reason for the high death toll appears to be the unsafe manner in which the vehicle was carrying passengers. 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. Ferozepur sub-divisional magistrate Abhishek Sharma is supervising the medical response at the district hospital. According to the DC, the administrations and Red Cross societies of both Ferozepur and Fazilka districts are coordinating assistance and cases eligible for compensation under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund are being processed. Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said that a criminal case has been registered and investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. The accident has sparked sharp political reactions regarding the region's infrastructure. Describing the tragedy as a grim reminder of official apathy toward road safety, 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 seen a high frequency of fatal accidents....