At least eight people were killed and 18 others injured on Friday when a private bus carrying over 45 passengers skidded off the road and fell into a dirty, toxic water drain near Bathinda town in Punjab.
The incident occurred after the bus crashed through a bridge on the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road and plunged into the Lasara drain at Jeewan Singhwala village.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but authorities believe the deaths were primarily due to drowning in the drain.
Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police Amneet Kondal confirmed the fatalities and said that authorities quickly rushed the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Heavy rainfall hampered the rescue operation, but the team eventually retrieved the bus from the drain with the help of a JCB machine, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police, and the civil administration.
Bathinda Urban legislator Jagroop Singh Gill, who visited the site, shared that five passengers died at the scene, while three others succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
Gill said, “Nearly 18 people are receiving treatment at the Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital. I have instructed doctors to ensure they receive proper care.”
Eyewitnesses reported that the bus crashed through the bridge’s railing before falling into the drain.
Locals were quick to act, pulling out the passengers from the bus and taking them to hospitals ahead of the official rescue teams.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the next 24 hours, forecasting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and hailstorms, which may have contributed to the crash.
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