Around seven individuals died and 12 people were injured after a Patna-bound bus with passengers on board overturned in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Thursday. It was also reported that around 5 people were trapped inside the bus following the accident.
The accident occurred around 6 am, near Gorhar Police Station area, around 50 km away from district headquarters. The bus toppled over while it was taking a turn.
There were about 50 passengers on the bus which was going to Patna from Kolkata when the accident took place.
Upon receiving the information about the accident, the Barhi Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and Gorhar police station in charge as well as the Barkattha police station in charge reached the site. Barhi SDPO Ajit Vimal said that so far seven people have died as a result of the accident. He added that accidents are a frequent occurrence due to the ongoing six-lane road construction.
According to witnesses, the bus suddenly lost control and overturned, they said it could also be due to the dense fog causing low visibility. People said they could hear a lot of screaming coming from the site of the accident.
Once the police reached the spot, the rescue work started. The local administration informed that the investigation is still underway. As per reports, the construction of the Barkattha Six Lane has been ongoing for the past six years, with over 20 fatalities recorded in the last two years.
The latest incident marks the most severe accident yet. Persistent negligence in road construction has been cited as a major factor contributing to the frequent accidents on this stretch.
In a separate incident, five people were killed and 15 were injured after a massive collision between a double-decker bus and truck on the Yamuna expressway in Aligarh on Thursday. According to ANI, the truck had tried to overtake the bus, amid dense fog which led to the collision in the Tappal area of the district. The accident took place between 12:30 am and 1 am when the bus was travelling from Delhi to Azamgarh.