Ludhiana: One dead, six injured as pvt bus ploughs into bike, 2 e-rickshaws
The bus first struck a motorcycle carrying two riders, then ploughed into two e-rickshaws and a few pedestrians before hitting the divider
A man died and six others sustained severe injuries after a private bus, while exiting the bus stand flyover, rammed into multiple vehicles and pedestrians before coming to a halt atop a traffic island near Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) on Thursday afternoon. After the incident, the driver fled from the spot leaving the vehicle on the spot.
The injured were rushed to a hospital in different vehicles. A heavy traffic jam was witnessed after the mishap. The police removed the vehicles with the help of a crane and restored the flow of traffic on the stretch.
The deceased has been identified as Vinod, 50, of Nirmal Nagar. Among the injured were Santosh Rani, 49, her daughter Mehak, 22, Sangrur residents Gurmukh Singh, 32, and Manjeet Kaur, 28, Darshan Singh, 47, of Hambran Road, and e-rickshaw driver Rajendra Thakur. While the rest of the victims were discharged after administering first aid, Gurmukh Singh and Manjeet Kaur were hospitalised as their injuries were severe.
The area, which is typically packed with commuters, was even more crowded at the time of the mishap. According to eyewitnesses, the bus was descending from the flyover when, instead of slowing down, the driver allegedly accelerated. The bus first struck a motorcycle carrying two riders, then ploughed into two e-rickshaws and a few pedestrians before hitting the divider.
Onlookers rushed to help, pulling the injured from the road and sending them to the civil hospital.
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Meva Singh, in charge of Kochar Market police post, said, “The bus had arrived from Nangal and was supposed to drop passengers after exiting the flyover. It appears that either the brakes failed or the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator. The bus ended up hitting a bike and two e-rickshaws, injuring at least six people.”
He added that while the bus had been seized, the driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped. “Except for two victims from Sangrur, all others have been discharged from the hospital,” the ASI said.
According to the police, they would record statements of the victims and proceed to register an FIR against the absconding bus driver. Gurmukh Singh said he, along with Manjeet Kaur, worked as gym trainers. They came to Ludhiana to meet a travel agent. Before boarding the bus to Sangrur, they were heading to an eatery for lunch.
“We stopped on the road after seeing a bus coming towards us. We stepped back and climbed on the traffic island. The bus hit the vehicles and commuters, including us. Passersby rushed us to hospital. While Manjeet Kaur suffered severe injuries on her legs, I suffered multiple injuries, including a head injury,” said Gurmukh Singh.
