Five persons, including a girl, were killed and around 30 persons suffered injuries when a Punjab Roadways bus on its way to Jalandhar came apart after hitting a tree near Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh memorial complex in Khatkar Kalan village of the district on Thursday.
The accident occurred 3.50pm on the Jalandhar-Chandigarh highway when bus driver Satnam Singh lost control of the vehicle when a car moving ahead, tried to overtake another car on road, resulting bus struck into tree, near memorial complex.
The impact of the accident was so severe that bus divided in two parts but tree did not move its place.
The deceased have been identified as Harpreet Kaur of Garhshankar, bus conductor Gurwinder Singh of Hoshiarpur, Ashwani Kumar of Patti in Tarn Taran district, Onkarjeet Singh of Hoshiarpur and Narinder Kaur of Jalandhar.
Punjab roadway bus of Nawanshahr depot (PB32-J-7240) had started its journey from Nawanshahr bus stand around 3.30 pm to Jalandhar and when it reached near Khatkar Kalan village, its driver Satnam Singh lost control on the bus when a car moving ahead of it, overtook another vehicle and it hit with a tree.
Immediately after it hit tree, five passengers crushed to death on the spot and while thirty passengers suffered injuries.
After getting information, senior officials of police, administration and health department reached at the spot and started rescue operations in this accident.
{{/usCountry}}After getting information, senior officials of police, administration and health department reached at the spot and started rescue operations in this accident.
{{/usCountry}}The injured were moved to nearby Nawanshahr, Banga civil hospital, Guru Nanak Mission Hospital, Dahaha Kalera and Jalandhar civil hospitals in 108-ambulances.
The driver Satnam Singh was managed to flee away from the spot.
Banga deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sarbjit Singh Bahia said a case had been registered against bus driver Satnam Singh under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC); he is yet to be arrested.
Bahia said that 20 persons including two seriously injured were admited in Nawanshahr hospitals and other passengers have been discharged after first aid in the hospital.
The dead bodies have been sent to Nawanshahr civil hospital for post-mortem examination. The road remained choked for two hours after accident at main road.