In bizarre incident, one of the four DU students who had met with an accident in Uber cab in Noida died in a private hospital on Wednesday morning, five days after struggling for life.

Delhi student Kaayum Pegu who suffered serious injuries in her lungs, head and eyes has lost her life after the Uber she was riding in smashed into a stationary truck. Pegu was a BA English Hons. student of Miranda House college, and hailed from Guwahati, Assam.

As far as we can ascertain, this is the first fatal crash involving an Uber in India.

Siddharth Pathak (19), who was in the passenger seat is also “critical” with a serious head injury. Akshara Badola (20), who was seated next to Kaayum, is admitted in the general ward and is out of danger. Tanuz Kalita (19), who was on Kaayum’s other side, has been discharged. The cab’s driver, Viresh, was also injured.

All of them, DU students, had booked an Uber cab to return home from a friend’s birthday party on Friday.

The accident happened near the Dalit Prerna Sthal in the early hours of September 23. All the four students are between 19 and 21 years old.

who was seated between two friends in the rear seat, is in “a very critical stage”, said a doctor at Noida’s Kailash Hospital where all four students were taken after the accident.

An FIR was filed on a complaint from Kalita, who alleged the driver of the silver-coloured Ritz cab was speeding.

But the owner of the cab, Sanjay Kumar, claims it was the students who had asked him to speed because they were in a hurry. The four had taken the cab from Unitech Cascades in Greater Noida and were headed for Delhi’s Vijaynagar.

Ferjad Hazarika, Kaayum’s friend, said, “Akshara had a conference the next morning so the students felt that they should return the same night. The driver was speeding and the students asked him to slow down. But he paid no heed. There was a stationary truck near Gate No. 5 of Dalit Prerna Sthal, which the car hit from behind.” He said passersby called police, who rushed the students to hospital.

SHO Amarnath Yadav said a case had been registered for rash-driving and grievously causing hurt by endangering life. Police said the car was being driven at over 100 km/hour.

In a statement, Uber said, “We are pained to learn about the accident and are closely engaged with the victim’s family to provide all assistance.”