LUCKNOW: Five people, including two women, two young girls and a man, were killed on Wednesday afternoon when two cars collided head-on and caught fire on the Purvanchal Expressway in Barabanki.

Subehana police reported that a Maruti Suzuki Brezza travelling from Lucknow to Azamgarh collided head-on with a WagonR coming from the opposite direction. The WagonR caught fire first, soon followed by the Brezza. The Brezza carried four people — three women and a young girl with the women surviving while the child died. The WagonR had a man, a woman, and three children on board; a woman and a girl died on the spot, and another child later succumbed during treatment.

Seven injured passengers were rushed to Barabanki District Hospital, where three later died. Two others had died at the scene, they added.

Local sources said the impact was so severe that some passengers were thrown nearly 20 metres away. Both vehicles were completely gutted, with flames rising several feet into the air.

Passers-by were the first to rescue passengers, pulling out the injured before police and UPEIDA staff arrived. A fire brigade team later extinguished the flames.

Barabanki SP Arpit Vijayvargiya confirmed the deaths and said four others remain in critical condition. Police are investigating the cause of the crash and the fire and are working to identify the victims’ families.