Sangrur PRTC bus hits flyover wall: 3 dead, over 20 injured

Three passengers were killed and at least 24 others injured when a Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) bus carrying passengers from Dhuri to Chandigarh crashed into a flyover wall in Punjab's Sangrur district early on Wednesday (11 November). The crash happened on the Bathinda-Chandigarh national highway near Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's residence in Sangrur, according to The New Indian Express. Reports put the number of injured between 24 and 26.

Sangrur's deputy superintendent of police Dalbir Singh told Hindustan Times that the driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. According to the paper, the bus was allegedly being driven fast to make up for a late start, lost control near Dreamland Colony, hit the wall of the bridge and then veered into a field on its left. Police have registered a case against the driver under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). That is an allegation under investigation, and the driver, who was injured, is being treated at a hospital in Ludhiana.

The dead include two women from Dhuri and a man from Thalesan village, Hindustan Times reported. Police said the weather was clear and there was no fog at the time. Sub-Inspector Mehar Singh told Times Now that the bus “was running slightly late today” and “went out of control” near an overbridge. The New Indian Express reported that the case was registered on the statement of a passenger who was travelling to Chandigarh for coaching.

Dr Vinod Kumar, the senior medical officer at Sangrur Civil Hospital, said 26 injured passengers were brought there. “While some were discharged after first aid, 12 victims, including the bus driver and conductor, suffered fractures and were referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala,” he said. NDTV reported that some of the injured remained in serious condition.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X: “The news of the PRTC bus accident in Sangrur is painful. Instructions have been issued to the administration for the free treatment of everyone.” He added a prayer for “the speedy recovery of the injured”, Hindustan Times reported.