5 dead, 30 injured as bus falls into drain in Punjab’s Faridkot district

According to eyewitnesses, the driver lost control of the bus after it collided with a truck; Kotkapura-Faridkot road closed for five hours.

Faridkot: Five passengers, including a woman, were killed and 30 injured when a private bus fell into a drain after colliding with a truck on the Kotkapura road near Faridkot on Tuesday morning.

Rescue efforts underway after a private bus fell into a drain on the Faridkot-Kotkapura road on Tuesday morning. (Sanjeev Kumar/HT)

The injured were rushed to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot. Two of the critically injured were referred to Amritsar.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver lost control of the bus after the collision with the truck and it fell into the drain.

Doctors said that five persons were brought dead. The deceased were identified as Simran, Atma Singh and Balraj Singh, all residents of Muktsar district. Simran was a teacher and Atma Singh was a bus checker. Police are trying to identify the two other deceased persons.

The injured include students of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS).

The bus belonged to a transport company owned by Gidderbaha Aam Aadmi Party MLA Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon.

The administration issued helpline numbers 98723-00138 and 78886-1512 for further enquiries.

The police closed the Kotkapura-Faridkot road for five hours and diverted traffic.

Faridkot senior superintendent of police Pragya Jain said police and administration teams rushed to the spot within a few minutes after getting information about the accident. “A police team is investigating the reason behind the accident. An FIR has been registered and appropriate action will be taken,” she said.

Faridkot deputy commissioner Vineet Kumar said the administration has provided all support to the injured. He said the accident occurred while overtaking on the bridge. He said barricades will be installed on the bridge so that such an accident does not happen again.

Faridkot MLA Gurdit Sekhon enquired about the condition of the injured at the Faridkot hospital. He said the Punjab government and district administration would provide free treatment to all injured and the kin of the deceased would be compensated according to state government directions.