Abohar, July 24

A passenger was killed and a dozen others injured as a bus owned by a private transporter hit a roadside tree between Gobindgarh and Kundal villages near Abohar today.

The deceased has been identified as Harnam Singh of Muktsar. The driver, who fled the spot, apparently dozed off and lost control of the vehicle. The bus owned by Amritsar-based Raj Transport Company was ferrying passengers on the Amritsar-Abohar route and its front portion was cut into pieces. People from nearby houses and fields rushed to the site and rescued trapped passengers before calling the emergency ambulance service to shift the victims to the Sub-Divisional Civil Hospital here.

Some persons reportedly caught hold of conductor Harbans Singh and thrashed him. He was later taken to the hospital, where he claimed he was assaulted for no fault of his. — OC