When trying to avoid the rickshaw, the bus collided with the truck with such force that both drivers died on the spot. (Representational)Five people were killed and several others injured when a passenger bus collided with a truck in Chandrakona area of West Midnapore on Wednesday morning.
“Five died and more than 26 have been injured. A few of them are also critical,” said West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria.
Police said the vehicles were headed in opposite directions at high speed when the head-on collision occurred.
The bus was headed from Kharagpur to Tarakeshwar when, allegedly due to low visibility by fog, it came close to a rickshaw.
When trying to avoid the rickshaw, the bus collided with the truck with such force that both drivers died on the spot.
The police soon rushed to the spot and took the injured to Chandrakona Hospital, from where more than 10 were referred to Midnapore medical college for better treatment, said sources.
“I boarded the bus in Midnapore. During morning time, usually, there is no traffic. We don’t know what went wrong suddenly; after colliding with a truck, the bus fell down,” Ratna Mullick, a passenger, told reporters.
A day earlier, three members of a family had died in another accident that occurred in Purulia.
“We have been able to curb road accidents through continuous campaigns across the state. However, people have to be more responsible when they are on the road,” said a senior traffic police officer.
