Bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims ploughs into trailer, driver killed
Patiala, May 29 -- A bus driver was killed and at least six pilgrims were critically injured after a Volvo bus travelling from Delhi to Katra rammed into a trailer in Fatehgarh Sahib district's Sirhind past Wednesday midnight.
The accident took place near Patarsi Kalan village at the Rajpura crossing on the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway while the bus was headed to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, Jammu.
According to police, the bus ploughed into the rear of a trailer moving ahead of it, crushing the front portion of the vehicle.
The severe impact of the crash killed the driver on the spot and left nearly 15 bus passengers, including two minor children, injured. The deceased driver, Inderjit Singh, was a resident of Ferozepur.
As passengers raised the alarm, passers-by rushed to their rescue, and alerted the police and ambulance services. Teams from the Mullepur police station, along with senior police officials, launched a rescue operation.
The injured passengers were rushed to the Fatehgarh Sahib civil hospital for treatment.
Doctors said six injured persons - Priyanka, 24, Gopinath, 25, Abhijeet, 27, Baljit, 28, Vibhuti, 35, and Ashoka, 37 - were in a critical condition and referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, after primary treatment.
Other injured passengers, including Keshav, 13, Subha Kumari, 16, Rashmi, 27, Shubham, 28, Suhel, 28, Shruti Jha, 38, Babita, 50 and Javeshwar, 60, are undergoing treatment at the Fatehgarh Sahib civil hospital.
Police officials said preliminary investigation suggested speeding may have caused the accident. "A total of 42 devotees were on board the Katra-bound bus when it rammed straight into the trailer ahead," an official said.
The body of the deceased driver has been sent for post-mortem examination and further legal proceedings have been initiated....
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