Bus, combine collide in Karnal; driver killed

The accident took place near Jhilmil Dhaba on NH-44 during early morning as the bus was on the way from Jaipur to Ludhiana. The deceased has been identified as Butta Singh.

A Rajasthan Roadways bus driver died after the bus he was driving collided with a combine machine abandoned in the middle of the road on the outskirts of Karnal on Saturday. Deepak Kumar, conductor of the bus, claimed that the bus hit the stationary combine machine in middle of the highway and veered off the road into fields and crashed into trees.

Locals helping passengers exit the bus which collided with a combine near Karnal on Saturday. (HT Photo)

The accident took place near Jhilmil Dhaba on NH-44 during early morning as the bus was on the way from Jaipur to Ludhiana. The deceased has been identified as Butta Singh.

Police said that due to rain in the area at around 5am, the bus after the collision, skid down to the service road before hitting trees in the fields. While the driver died in his seat due to the impact, the few passengers who were injured in the accident were rescued using the emergency exit at the back of the bus by the employees of nearby dhabas.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ashok Kumar, Karnal, Sadar Police Station, who is the investigating officer in the case, said that the body of the driver has been taken to the civil hospital and the vehicles were removed from the road to ensure smooth traffic movement.