At least seven people, including three children, were killed while more than 54 people got injured when a school bus going towards Patratu for a marriage function overturned at a sharp turn near Pithoria Police Station in Patratu valley, merely 20 km from capital Ranchi, on Sunday afternoon. The driver, according to the people on board, was drunk, who lost control over the vehicle at a sharp turn and dashed into the railing beside the road.
list of the persons who got killed include mostly teens and were residents of Nagri village. The deceased have been identified as Chandan Oraon(15), Rahul Toppo (15), Rohan Oraon (13), Sudeep Toppo (16), Budhram lohra (40), lala Toppo (18) and Musa Toppo, 7.
The police stated that at least 10 people were critically injured and receiving treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Schiences (RIMS). “We were heading towards Gegda village from Nagri under Kanke block in Ranchi to bring the bride of Bhagat Oraon who got married on April 19. Today a party had been organised by the bride side for which all the villagers were invited,” said an injured Pawan Toppo who was sitting on the roof of the bus after it got filled up with the ‘baratis’. More than 100 people were sitting on the bus – 70 inside and more than 30 on the roof-top, he added.
Another victim said that the most of the people including the driver were drunk and had also been warned by the people sitting inside the bus for rash driving. “It appeared that the driver was not expert in driving and was also drunk. He started driving rashly right from Nagri itself for which some of the people also warned him to drive the bus properly, but he was not ready to hear anybody,” said Sweety Gadi who was inside the bus.
When the bus crossed Pithoria Police Station, the driver tried to take a turn at a quite high speed but could not control it following which the bus turned turtle causing fatal injuries to most of the passengers, she added.
The driver however, has not been traced out and it has not been ascertained whether he has suffered with injured or ran away from the site.
The police maintained that all those died breathed their last on the spot itself. “Seven people died on the spot while the injured persons were rushed to RIMS in Ranchi for treatment. Some of the persons are also said to have succumbed to their injuries after they reached there during the treatment,” said officer in charge of Pithoria Police Station. Most of the casualties were of the people sitting on the roof of the bus as they came under the bus after falling from the roof, he added.
Police said that the bus was immediately removed from the road with the help of a crane for smooth flow of traffic on busy Ranchi-Pithoria Road. Rural SP Rajkumar lakra also asserted seven persons have been killed in the accident. “More than seven persons have been killed and the death toll is likely to rise as some of the injured persons are still critical,” said lakra.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das expressing grief over the unfortunate incident has announced ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each to the family members of the dead persons and Rs 20,000 for those who have received injuries in the accident.
Expressing sympathy with the family members of injured persons, Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Dinesh Oraon said that may God give enough strength to them to withstand the grief and has wished the injured persons to get well soon.