3 dead, 17 injured as Chandigarh-bound bus turns turtle near Batala

Three persons were killed and 17 were injured, six of them seriously, when a Chandigarh-bound private bus turned turtle at Shahbad village bus stop on the Batala-Qadian road, 6 km from the city, on Monday afternoon.

The mishap occurred when the bus driver lost control over the vehicle while trying to save a motorcycle.

According to eyewitnesses, the bus driver tried to save the speeding motorcycle but lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into a tree on the roadside.

SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said the police were investigating the sequence of events leading to the accident.

Amid rumours that more than 25 people were injured in the mishap, SSP Mir put the number of injured at 17. “All the 17 were admitted to the Civil Hospital. Out of them, six were in a critical condition. Doctors have referred them to private hospitals in Amritsar.”

One of the victims has been identified as Abhijot Singh (13).

“We are closely monitoring the situation at the Civil Hospital,” said the SSP.

The administration has made arrangements to shift the injured to Amritsar.

“It appears that the driver, in order to save the motorcyclists, rammed the bus into a tree near the bus stop. Parts of the iron shed of the bus stop pierced into the body of the bus causing injuries to several passengers,” said a police officer present at the site.

Meanwhile, the police had a difficult time keeping the curious onlookers at bay.