Himachal tunnel accident: Truck driver killed, 15 bus passengers injured

Police say accident, which occurred due to overspeeding, caused traffic jam for more than two hours on Chandigarh-Manali highway

The driver of a truck was killed and 15 passengers of a Punjab Roadways bus going from Yamunanagar to Manali were injured when the vehicles collided inside the 4-km tunnel at Aut on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway on Thursday night, police said.

The accident site in the Aut tunnel on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway on Thursday night. The mishap led to a traffic jam for more than two hours. (ANI Photo)

The accident disrupted traffic on the route, leading to a jam that lasted for more than two hours.

Mandi superintendent of police Shalini Agnihotri said on Friday that preliminary investigation showed that both vehicles were speeding inside the tunnel. The police reached the spot and took the injured to Nagawain Civil Hospital. After first aid, 12 passengers were referred to a Kullu hospital.

The police said the truck driver, Ganesh Kushwah of Sherdih village in Jhansi, was going from Manali to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

In another accident at Shilaru in Theog tehsil, four tourists from Delhi were injured when their vehicle skidded off the road.