5-year-old among 10 killed, 32 injured – 6 seriously – as minibus overturns after crashing into car in Hoshiarpur
An eyewitness told reporters he was riding on his motorcycle on the same road, but was a little behind the accident site. “I heard a big bang, and soon reached the spot. It was a horrible scene”.
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The police arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. (Express Photo)A five-year-old girl and four women were among ten persons killed, and 32 others suffered injuries — six of them gravely—after the minibus they were travelling in crashed head-on into a car and overturned on the Dasuya-Hajipur road near Adda Sagran in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district around 10 am on Monday, police said.
Locals said the speeding bus was on its way to Dasuya when it hit the car on a narrow stretch of the road, and the driver subsequently lost control over the vehicle, which overturned in the middle of the road, dragging for several meters. The car driver, however, escaped unhurt, police said.
As passengers screamed, nearby villagers rushed to the scene with help and also informed the police.
Police arrived at the scene shortly, rushed injured persons to nearby hospitals, and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination.
Dasuya Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Balwinder Singh, who was present at the accident scene, confirmed that the preliminary findings suggested it was a high-speed collision. “As the passengers were trapped inside the mangled bus, rescue teams deployed JCB machines to rescue survivors and retrieved bodies from the wreckage. Several passengers were found trapped under twisted metal, making the operation complex and time-consuming.”
“The driver might have applied the brakes on the speeding bus, causing it to veer in the opposite direction and overturn. The car had a single occupant, who survived,” the DSP said.
A motorcycle rider said, “I was about half a kilometre away when I heard the crashing thud. Soon, I reached the spot only to witness a horrible scene.”
Dr Manmohan Singh, Senior Medical Officer at the Dasuya Civil Hospital, said that they admitted several critically injured passengers. “Initially, three people were brought dead, including a young child. Two others succumbed to their injuries during the treatment, and then four more were brought dead. Currently, 24 passengers are undergoing treatment, three have been referred to higher medical centres and six were discharged after administering first aid.”
Dasuya police identified the deceased persons as Raju Bala, 5, and her mother Meena of Budhawarh village; Love Kumar, 50, of Ghatti Nari village in Himachal Pradesh; Gurmeet Ram, 65, of Haler village; Satwinder Kaur, 55, of Jalal Chak; Balbir Kaur, 60, of Dashmesh Nagar, Dasuya; Sanjeev Kumar, 30, of Nawiya Bagriya, Bhaini Minan Khan, Gurdaspur; Subag Rani, 55, of Sahora; Khushi Mohita, 22, of Saunspur village in Hoshiarpur; and Rajiv Kumar, 39, of Rouli village in Hoshiarpur.
Of the nine deceased persons, seven were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital while two succumbed to their injuries during the treatment, police said.
The seriously persons injured include Raj Rani, 55, fractured her hand and suffered chest injuries; Sanjeev Singh, 45, suffered head injuries; Preeti Rani, 30, got a fracture; bus driver Gurdeep Singh, 35, fractured his elbow; Prince, 16, suffered a leg injury; and Shafi, 32, fracture forearm, police said.
Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain, SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik and MLA Karambir Singh Ghumman visited the injured at the hospital.
“The Punjab government has announced Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased, while the injured will receive free treatment, along with compensation,” the DC said.
The DSP said, “Locals and passersby reached the spot and tried to rescue passengers. When I reached the scene, I heard passengers screaming from inside the overturned bus. I managed to enter the mangled bus and pulled them out one by one. The condition of the passengers was horrifying, and some of them had died on the spot. We are continuing with our investigation. The bodies have been sent for the postmortem.”
The DSP said a case would be registered under the relevant sections.
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