Rohtak, February 26
As many as 13 persons were killed and 23 others were injured seriously when a bus carrying a marriage party collided head on with a Canter near Bhiwani Road octroi post here today within minutes of departing from the groom’s place.
The Haryana Roadways chartered bus (HR61 2621) was on its way to Bhiwani while the Canter (HR 46B 0755) was coming from Bhiwani. The groom, Pawan Kumar, however, escaped unhurt as he was in another vehicle.
As many as 12 of those killed were travelling in the Canter. The driver of the bus was the only person in the bus who died in the mishap.
The deceased have been identified as: Hawa Singh, Ganga Devi, Jai Chand, Sunehari, Balwant, Harpal Singh, Umed Singh, Suresh, Satish,Vicky (5), Ram Kishen, Suresh (driver of the Canter) and Sher Singh (driver of the bus). Most of them died on the spot.
The injured were rushed to the casualty ward of the local Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences. Doctors said the condition of more a dozen other injured was serious.
According to eyewitnesses the mishap
occurred when the bus suddenly veered to the right lane and hit the Canter coming from the opposite direction.
As the accident
occurred on a busy road, bystanders rushed to rescue the injured within seconds. The injured were immediately sent to the PGIMS in any available vehicle.
A large crowd gathered outside the PGIMS emergency ward to provide help to the victims. Senior police and other officers rushed there to supervise relief operations. They said investigations were on but eyewitness accounts indicated that the bus was on the wrong side of the road at the time of the accident.
Ms Asha Hooda, wife of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, rushed to the PGIMS to meet the accident victims.
An official spokesman said the Chief Minister had announced ex gratia of Rs 50,000 for the next of kin of each of the persons killed in the accident. The seriously injured would get Rs 20,000 each while those with minor injuries would be given Rs 10,000 each. He said the entire expenditure of treatment of the injured would be borne by the District Red Cross Society.
