Nawanshahr, February 23
Six persons, including four women and a three-year-old girl were killed on the spot and 20 others were injured when a Punjab Roadways bus of the Nawanshahr depot, going to Chandigarh from Amritsar, hit a tree near Barnala Gate on the Chandigarh road at about 2.15 p.m. today.
According to Mr Surinder Mohan, SHO, city police station, of the six dead, the identity of three had been established. They were identified as Surinder Kaur of Jalandhar, Raman Sharma of Mani Majra and Damanpreet Kaur (3) of Chandigarh. Raman Sharma was the brother-in-law of Mr Narinder Sharma, Manager of the Tribune sub-office at Jalandhar.
The injured were identified as Shikha (Jalandhar), Harjit Kaur, Ajit Singh, R.S. Ahluwalia, Amandip Kaur, Satya and Shinderpal Singh (Chandigarh), Harbans Singh (Ropar), Sham Singh, Surjit Singh (conductor of the bus), Satvinder Kaur (Kharar), Gurnam Singh (Sri Ganga Nagar), Sethi, Rakesh Kumar, Ralli Ram Naik, Joginder Pal, Ashwani Kumar (Jalandhar), Dhani Ram (Ropar), Gaurav (Jalandhar) and Surinder Kaur (SAS Nagar).
Ravi, a tea-stall owner near Barnala Gate, and Saif Ali, a shepherd, told this correspondent that when they heard the noise they along with others immediately rushed to the scene and found that the left side of the bus was almost crushed. They had to break the sheets of bus with iron rods to take out the passengers. They informed the police on mobile helpline.
The police and ambulances reached the scene immediately and brought the dead and the injured to the local Civil Hospital where they were given medical help.
Out of the 20 injured, eight persons were in a serious condition and were being referred to various hospitals. Mr Gurnam Singh, an injured, told this correspondent that perhaps the driver lost control of the bus when he asked a passenger sitting on the bonnet not to sleep.
The driver of the ill-fated bus, Hari Chand Giri has reportedly fled from the scene.
