23 pilgrims injured as bus skids off road
As many as 23 people were injured when the bus carrying pilgrims skidded off road at Daheru village on the GT Road near Khanna on Friday afternoon. A total of 60 pilgrims from Bakaru district of Jharkhand were returning in the bus after paying obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine.
As many as 23 people were injured when the bus carrying pilgrims skidded off road at Daheru village on the GT Road near Khanna on Friday afternoon.
A total of 60 pilgrims from Bakaru district of Jharkhand were returning in the bus after paying obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine.
The injured were rushed to hospitals, while those who escaped unhurt left for their hometown in another bus. Bus driver Ranjit Singh said he lost control in an effort to avoid a collision with another vehicle at about 2.30pm. The bus careened off the road and fell into a small roadside water channel. Area residents rescued passengers trapped in the bus.
"Most passengers were sleeping at the time of accident. When the bus skidded off the road, passengers fell on each other. We were crying and screaming, when locals came to our rescue," said Paro Devi, one of the injured.
Khanna SDM Purshotam Sodhi and SAD leader Ranjit Singh Talwandi reached the spot and talked to the injured. According to the SDM, the injured were shifted to hospitals.