(MENAFN- IANS) Indore, Nov 8 (IANS) Two young lives were cut short late Friday night when a recklessly speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV) collided with a motorcycle carrying three friends near a private hospital in Lasudia police station area of Indore.

The victims, identified as 23-year-old Ayush and 21-year-old Krishna Pal, both residents of Moondi and Chhaigaon (Khandwa district), respectively, succumbed to their injuries on the spot opposite. Their companion, Shreyansh, is battling for his life in critical condition at government-owned MYH Hospital.

Eyewitnesses described a scene of utter devastation around 2 a.m., as the high-speed vehicle ploughed into the bike without warning, hurling the riders onto the asphalt. The force of the impact was so severe that Ayush and Krishna Pal were declared dead upon arrival at the hospital by responding paramedics, said police officials.

Other sources said their bodies remained unattended in front of the hospital for half an hour till police arrival. Shreyansh, believed to be in his early 20s, sustained multiple fractures, severe head trauma, and internal injuries. He was swiftly transported to Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH), where doctors have placed him on a ventilator.

"His condition is precarious; we're doing everything possible," said the treating doctor at MYH, emphasising the urgency of the next 48 hours. Friends and relatives have gathered outside the ICU, holding vigil and praying for a miracle. The Lasudia police station sprang into action within minutes of the call, cordoning off the accident site.

Officers seized the errant SUV, its front end crumpled like an accusation against the absent driver. "The vehicle has been impounded, and we've filed an FIR under Sections 106 of BNS (304A of IPC) -- causing death by negligence and 125 (B) (337 of IPC), ie, causing hurt by rash act," confirmed the police officials.

Forensic teams scoured the road for clues-brake marks absent, tyre treads fresh-while CCTV footage from nearby pharmacies and the hospital is being reviewed to unmask the fugitive motorist.

Police are tracing the vehicle's registration to its owner, appealing to the public for leads. The owner's identity remains elusive, fuelling speculation of a hit-and-run cover-up.

Ayush, an aspiring engineer from a modest family in Vijay Nagar, and Krishna Pal, a recent college graduate dreaming of a career in IT, were en route home from a casual outing when fate intervened.

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