Five persons including one woman and two girls, lost their lives after the Tata Sumo in which they were travelling collided head-on with a bus near Pendrikala village under Khairagarh police station on Thursday, a senior police official said.
Reports said both the ill-fated vehicles were crowded with marriage party members who were returning back on their homes. The bride and the groom who were seated in Tata Sumo too sustained injuries.
The mishap occurred when the Tata Sumo (CG-08 5392) was returning from Gadaghat after participating in a marriage function and was on way to Bhedikala on Rajnandgaon-Kawardha state highway. A bus of New lodhi travels (CG-08 M-0171) that was on way to Rajnandgaon from Vikrampur had reached near Pendrikla village about 4 kms from Khairagarh police station.
Both the vehicles were in high speed when they collided head- on. The intensity of collision was so severe that the bumper of Tata Sumo was virtually converted into a metal scrap, said Station House Officer Khairagarh, Vinod Mandavi adding the mishap occurred around 3 am on Thursday.
Soon after the mishap 108 free ambulances reached the spot and took injured to hospital. Four of them succumbed on the spot while one died in hospital, SHO told The Pioneer.
The deceased were identified as Sangeeta Yadav (15) daughter of Dhanuram Yadav, Dhuliya Bai Yadav (65) wife of Manug Yadav, Sapna (12) daughter of Tekram, trio residents of Khairgarh, Balchand Dewangan (26) resident of Rajnandgaon and Ram Kisun Yadav (45) resident of Dongargarh.
The bus driver was also injured in the mishap and has been admitted to a city hospital, police said. A total of 27 persons were injured in the mishap and the condition of three was stated to be very critical.