At least 15 persons, including seven children, died on Saturday after the tractor-trolley they were travelling in fell into a pond at Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, PTI reported.

Fifteen to 20 passengers were injured and had been taken to a local hospital, police said. The group was on the way to take a dip in the Ganga when the accident took place on the Patiyali-Dariyavganj road under the Patiyali police station area, they added.

Inspector-General Shalabh Mathur said that the vehicle overturned and fell into a pond when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle.

“Fifteen people - seven children and eight women - died in the accident,” Mathur said. “The tractor-trolley was coming from Jaithara in Etah district.”

Mathur added that Chief Minister Adityanath had announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of those who died and Rs. 50,000 to those injured.

Meanwhile, Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of those who died. The chief minister said that he has instructed the district administration to provide free treatment to all the injured.