Three dead, 19 hurt as bus hits roadside shed in Batala

As per staff of the Batala civil hospital, 19 passengers were injured and seven of them were critical so they were referred to the Government Medical College in Amritsar

As many as three passengers, including a child, were killed and 19 sustained injuries as a private bus rammed into a bus stop in Shahbad village along the Batala-Qadian road in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district on Monday.

A view of bus accident near Batala on Monday. (HT)

Eyewitnesses said the mishap took place as the bus driver took a sharp turn to save a biker who turned up all of a sudden from the opposite direction. As a result, the bus, which was heading to Mohali from Batala, rammed into the the bus stop. There are allegations that the bus driver was overspeeding. The collision was so intense that the concrete slab of the structure pierced into the bus, breaking its windows.

As per staff of the Batala civil hospital, 19 passengers were injured and seven of them were critical so they were referred to the Government Medical College in Amritsar.

Amid the allegations that the bus moves at high speed daily on this route, Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said, “We are examining CCTV footage to find out how the accident took place.”

Expressing shock, chief minister Bhagwant Mann shared his sympathies with the members of the bereaved families. He said he was monitoring the situation and had already directed the district administration to provide free treatment to the injured.

Batala AAP MLA Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi, leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa visited the Batala civil hospital to enquire about the health of the injured.