While a 16-year-old boy and the bus driver were declared ‘brought dead’ a few minutes after an accident, by the doctors at Kharar Civil Hospital, another 15-yr-old boy succumbed to his injuries at Chandigarh’s Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) late in the evening.
The driver of the other vehicle sped away from the spot. Besides, more than 20 others received serious injuries after a school bus collided with a “rashly-driven” private transport bus at village Gharuan, near Kharar on Tuesday morning . The accident occurred just 4 km ahead of the school. The villagers came to the rescue of the injured and also informed the police.
In a State where driving on roads is nothing less than a tryst with death, the stretch between Chandigarh and Kharar extending up to ludhiana on the one side, and leading towards Ropar on the other, has been claiming lives for long. Even the four-laning of the road has proved ineffective.
The incident took place in the morning hours when a school bus of Kharar’s Indus Public School was ferrying students to the school and collided with a private bus, owned by libra Transport Company, at the curve on ludhiana-Morinda road.
“More than 20 students of the school bus received injuries and were immediately rushed to Kharar Civil Hospital, where the doctors declared a 16-year-old boy and the driver of the bus as ‘brought dead’, while the condition of a few children is still critical,” said a Mohali police official. Police has identified the 16-year-old boy as Mehakbir Singh, a student of class X and a resident of Mamugarh village.
‘Killer stretch’ claims three more lives Another boy was identified as Harpreet Singh, a resident of Hasanpur village. Harinder Singh, the bus driver, was a resident of village Gharuan.
Over 20 students some passengers of the private bus received serious injuries who received treatment at the Civil Hospital. The three seriously injured persons were shifted to PGIMER, out of which one died.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the driver of the private bus was driving “rashly” which resulted in the accident. “The private transport bus was at a high speed when it rammed into the school bus,” added a villager and eyewitness.
Kharar Sadar Station House Officer (SHO) Amarjit Singh said: “No arrest has been made so far as the driver of private bus sped away from the spot after the accident. However, a case against the accused has been registered and further investigation is on.” The police are investigating the incident, while locals are complaining that private bus operators drive at high speeds, making them prone to frequent accidents. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal have expressed grief over the unfortunate incident.