Tanda, May 24
Eight persons were killed and 25 injured in a head-on collision between a Tata Sumo and a mini-bus near Moonkan village on the Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway this morning.

The maximum casualties, seven, were of those passengers who were travelling by the Tata Sumo while a mini-bus passenger was also killed in the accident. Twentythree passengers of the mini-bus sustained injuries.

Passengers travelling by the Tata Sumo hailed from Himmatnagar township near Ahmedabad and were returning from Srinagar while those travelling by the mini-bus belonged to Ludhiana and were heading for the Dera Radha Swami at Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh.

The accident took place at about 6.45 am as the two vehicles collided head on which left six of the Tata Sumo passengers dead on the spot. One woman passenger of the Tata Sumo died while being shifted to the CMC at Ludhiana.

Kulwant Singh, a resident of Talwandi Kalan village in Ludhiana district, who was travelling by the mini-bus, was killed and 23 others were injured.

A total of nine passengers were travelling by the Tata Sumo. They were identified as Chandiwal Riaz, his wife Zakria Bibi, Ittefaz Mohammed Yosuf, his wife Jasmit, Sheikh Aarif, his wife Sohana, Indira Zakar Mohammed Miya, his wife Firdaus and driver Kanti Bhai, all from Himmatnagar. The three couples travelling by the Tata Sumo were newly wedded and were in the age group of 25-26 years.

The Jalandhar Range Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr Paramjit Singh Gill, who visited the spot, said relatives of the deceased had been informed and they were reaching Punjab by air as soon as possible. He said all possible medical aid and help was provided to the injured well within time. The police was trying to ensure exact identification of the deceased.

Mr D.K. Tiwari, Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner, also reached the spot and announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased and an aid of Rs 25,000 for each of the seriously injured in the accident. An aid of Rs 5,000 would be given to those who had sustained minor injuries.