Tragic Accident in Punjab: Eight Lives Lost, 18 Injured as Bus Plunges into Toxic Drain
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Chandigarh, Dec 27 (NationPress) At least eight individuals lost their lives and 18 others sustained injuries on Friday when a private bus, which was transporting more than 45 passengers, skidded off the road and plunged into a polluted and toxic drain close to Bathinda town in Punjab after crashing through a bridge, according to an official.
The precise cause of this tragic accident is still under investigation.
The incident took place on the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road as the bus fell into the Lasara drain at Jeewan Singhwala village. The fatalities were primarily due to drowning in the drain, as indicated by the police.
Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police Amneet Kondal confirmed that eight individuals have died, and the injured have been rushed to nearby medical facilities.
The bus was retrieved from the drain with the assistance of a JCB, alongside the efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police, and civil authorities.
Rescue operations were hindered by the rain.
Bathinda Urban legislator Jagroop Singh Gill addressed the media at the scene, stating that five individuals perished on-site while three more succumbed to serious injuries during treatment.
“Approximately 18 victims are receiving care at the Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital. Medical staff have been instructed to provide the best possible treatment,” Gill noted.
The bus was en route from Talwandi Sabo to Bathinda city when it veered off the road and fell into the drain. Senior civil and police officials were present to oversee the rescue efforts.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the bus crashed through the railing of a bridge prior to its plunge into the drain.
Local residents arrived at the accident site ahead of authorities to assist in rescuing people from the bus and transported them to medical facilities.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the next 24 hours, cautioning against heavy rainfall.
Thunderstorms and hailstorms are anticipated amid the prevailing cold weather conditions.
