Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other leaders offered condolences to the families of migrants who were killed in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Auriya on Saturday.

Twenty-four migrants were killed and several others injured after a truck they were travelling in collided with another in Auriya. The migrants had started their journey from Rajasthan and were travelling to their villages in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. They had hitched a ride on a truck transporting food packets. Auriya Chief Medical Officer Archana Srivastava said 15 migrants were in critical condition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the road accident was “very tragic”. “I express my condolences to the families of those killed in this accident, and wish that the injured recover as soon as possible,” he added.

President Ram Nath Kovind said he was “extremely saddened to learn about the tragic road accident”. He said that the local administration is making all efforts to help those affected. “Thoughts and prayers with the bereaved families and with those injured”.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath directed officials to ensure that the injured are provided proper medical care. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the migrants killed in the accident and Rs 50,000 for those injured. The government has suspended two police officers.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed grief and said they were saddened to hear about the incident. Shah said that the state government of Uttar Pradesh immediately provided help to the injured. Both the Union ministers said they were praying for the well-being of the injured.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal also took to Twitter and said he was extremely disturbed by the loss of lives in the accident. “The tragedy of migrant labour keeps getting worse. Something needs to be done urgently,” he added.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed anguish over the incident. “I am hurt by the news of the death of 24 labourers in Auraiya,” he tweeted. “I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.”

In a series of series tweets, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the Adityanath-led government, while offering her condolences to the families. She questioned why the state government was not making proper arrangements for the safe return of migrant workers. “Why are buses not being arranged in the state to transport the migrant workers?” she asked. The Congress leader claimed that the state government was either being a mere spectator or being ignorant, and asked if making statements was its only job.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is also in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, demanded that the bodies of all victims be transported to their family members. “All the injured should be given proper treatment, and they should be financially supported,” she added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also said that she was extremely saddened by the accident. “My condolences to the families of the migrant brothers and sisters who have lost their lives,” she said. “May their souls rest in peace. Praying for recovery of those injured”

The district’s circle officer Surendranath Yadav said that the accident took place when some of the labourers travelling in the truck coming from Delhi halted on the Auraiya-Kanpur Dehat Road to have tea at a local shop. “At this point of time, the truck coming from Rajasthan hit the stationary vehicle. The intensity of the hit was so huge that both the vehicles turned upside down and fell into a ditch on the roadside,” he added.

Last week, 16 migrant workers were killed after they were run over by a cargo train in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district. The victims, who had been walking home along the rail tracks, had fallen asleep on them sometime during the night. On Wednesday, 14 migrant workers were killed in two separate accidents in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. More than 60 people were injured.

Several migrant labourers have been stranded across the country since the nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to curb the coronavirus pandemic. After much flak from the Opposition, the Centre only began running ‘Shramik Special’ trains since May 1. However, many still continue to walk, cycle back home or look for other modes of transport.