2 killed, 25 hurt as Haryana Roadways bus hangs precariously from bridge after colliding with private bus in Punjab's Kurali

Gaurav Kanthwal 

Mohali, May 9

Two passengers died while 25 others were injured when a rashly-driven Haryana Roadways bus collided with a private bus near Kurali in Mohali district on a narrow bridge on the night intervening Sunday and Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Ranjana, 45, a resident of Maranda near Palampur in Himachal Pardesh and Jalandhar-resident Kulwant Singh, 60.

Police said the accident took place at around 12.30 am when the Faridabad-bound bus, coming from Baijnath, in a bid to overtake a car hit the private bus coming from the opposite direction.

Eyewitnesses said three passengers, including Ranjana, fell from the bus from a height of around 25 feet. They said that after the accident the bus hung precariously from the over-bridge for sometime before it was winched.

Police said the toll could have been much higher as a high-tension wire was in close proximity.

Some of the injured were later discharged from the Kurali hospital. 

Passengers complained that the Haryana Roadways driver had been repeatedly warned for driving rashly but he did not pay heed, said the cops.

A case has been registered against bus driver Mukesh Kumar under Sections 304, 279, and 337 of the IPC at the Kurali City police station.