Bathinda, November 17
A luxury bus carrying players of the Indian women kabaddi team collided with an Army truck near the Army Chetak Park on the Barnala road around 4 pm today. A Punjab Police Gypsy accompanying the bus was also involved in the accident. The drivers of the bus and the Gypsy were killed in the accident while 13 players and policemen were injured.

The incident occurred when the escort Gypsy, moving ahead of the bus and driven at a high speed, collided head-on with an Army truck. The Army truck was trying to overtake a vehicle and the driver of the Gypsy failed to apply brakes in time.

While the police Gypsy got tossed away, the bus and Army truck rammed head on and both the vehicles caught fire immediately after the collision.

Bathinda Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said the players were safe although there were minor bruises and burns to three players and four policemen who were sitting in the Gypsy.

According to eyewitnesses, Army personnel sitting in the truck jumped off the vehicle and escaped unhurt. The kabaddi players in the bus, however, failed to come out of the bus and were later rescued by some farmers and commuters.

Volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa and the Naujawan Welfare Society reached the spot and helped in taking injured to a nearby private hospital.

“We left Ludhiana around 2 pm and were about to reach Bathinda within two hours or so,” said ASI Bhupinder Kaur of the Punjab Police who was travelling with another women team of Turkmenistan beside the Indian team.

Sub-Inspector Jasmine, who was sitting with the Indian kabaddi players, said the entire luggage, including mobile phones and sports kits of the players, got charred in the incident.

The players were supposed to have dinner with the first family of Punjab at Badal village tonight.

The traffic on the narrow Barnala-Bhucho road remained blocked for more than three hours due to the accident.