Bhopal: Four national hockey players were killed and three others injured when their car hit a tree on Monday at Raisalpur, in Hosangabad district, Madhya Pradesh.
They were heading to a semifinal match of the Major Dhyan Chand Mem-orial All India Hockey Tournament at Hosanga-bad after celebrating the birthday of a teammate.
The driver lost control while trying to avoid a head-on-collision with a car coming from the opposite side, and hit a roadside tree, police said.
The deceased, aged 18 to 22, were: Shahnwaz Huss-ain, Adarsh Hardua, Ash-ish Lal, and Aniket Varun. Ashish and Aniket were selected for the Indian junior hockey team, and the other two were called to the net for selection.
The three injured were Sahil Choure, Akshyaya Awasthi and Shan Gladwin.
All were enrolled in the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, which they represented in the tournament. All hailed from Madhya Pradesh.
Ashish’s two sisters are also national hockey players and their mother is a sports teacher in a private school in Jabalpur.
Chief Minister Kamal Nath expressed shock and grief. “Officials have been directed to extend help to the families of the deceased, and ensure proper medical treatment of the injured,” he said.
