Chandigarh: At least eight people were killed and over 26 injured after a private bus they were travelling in fell into a drain after crashing through its bridge.
The accident took place around 2 pm near village Jiwan Singh Wala in Bathinda when the bus - which was going from Talwandi Sabo to Bathinda city - fell into the Lasara nullaha (drain), which has filthy shallow water - after crashing through the drain bridge.
According to information, the accident took place when the driver of an over-speeding truck which was going ahead of the bus, suddenly applied brakes and the bus driver turned towards the drain bridge to avoid the collision with the truck.
However, the bus fell into the drain after crashing through the iron railings of the bridge. A few other passengers held that the bus too was recklessly driven and its driver tried to avoid a collision with an over-speeding truck coming from the opposite side, but the bus crashed through the bridge railings.
However, police said that an investigation into the accident is also underway.
According to information, while five persons died on the spot, three succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The injured were undergoing treatment at Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital, Bathinda.
Stating that a rescue operation was undertaken with the help of NDRF, police said that about 46 passengers were reportedly travelling in the bus.
The identities of most of the deceased were yet to be ascertained, though the deceased bus driver was identified as Balkar Singh, a resident of Mansa town. Other deceased included five women, including a girl aged about two years and three men, police said.
