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Indian celebrity politician Hema Malini injured in fatal car crash | Indian celebrity politician Hema Malini injured in fatal car crash |
(35 minutes later) | |
A car accident involving Hema Malini, a popular Bollywood actor and Indian politician, has killed a girl and injured several others including the politician. | |
The 66-year-old MP in the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, was rushed to a local hospital late on Thursday with minor injuries, after her Mercedes reportedly collided with a small hatchback in the western desert state of Rajasthan. | |
“One girl child has died in the accident,” Shankar Lal Sharma, a member of the Rajasthan state assembly, told reporters. “Hema has injuries above her eyes, on her back and legs. I drove her to the hospital in my car. She was in pain.” | |
The impact killed the girl, who was believed to be four years old, in the other car and injured three co-passengers and the driver, who were also taken to hospital, the Press Trust of India cited a local administrator as saying. | |
Related: India moves to reduce road death penalties despite high rate of accidents | Related: India moves to reduce road death penalties despite high rate of accidents |
Malini, an MP from northern Uttar Pradesh state, was reportedly travelling from the Taj Mahal city of Agra to Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur, when the accident occurred. | Malini, an MP from northern Uttar Pradesh state, was reportedly travelling from the Taj Mahal city of Agra to Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur, when the accident occurred. |
Television images showed the severely crumpled front of her luxury car and the actor holding a bloodied handkerchief as her forehead bled. | |
Deadly traffic accidents are common in India, with more than 200,000 fatalities a year, according to the World Health Organisation. | |
Last year, another BJP MP, Gopinath Munde, was killed in an accident in Delhi, barely a week after taking up his new post as rural affairs minister in Modi’s rightwing cabinet. | |
Transport analysts attribute the huge number of accidents to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. | Transport analysts attribute the huge number of accidents to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. |