Punjab Newsline | Shahabad
Several passengers were injured after a Delhi-to-Jammu Indo-Canadian bus rammed into a trailer on National Highway-44 near the Markanda bridge in Shahabad Markanda early Thursday morning. The accident took place around 5 am.
Most of the passengers were fast asleep when the collision occurred. The loud impact and sudden jolt triggered panic and screams inside the bus. The front portion of the bus was severely damaged in the collision, leaving several passengers injured. They were immediately provided with first aid and medical assistance.
Nidhi Mahajan, a passenger from Jammu who was travelling on the bus, blamed the driver for the accident, alleging gross negligence and overspeeding. She claimed that the driver was driving at an excessively high speed despite it being early morning and failed to maintain control of the vehicle, putting the lives of the passengers at risk.
However, bus driver Santokh Singh denied the allegations of negligence. He claimed that a trailer suddenly came in front of the bus near the Markanda bridge, leaving him with insufficient time to avoid the collision.
Police have initiated an investigation after recording the statements of both sides. The investigation will establish whether the accident occurred due to the bus driver's alleged overspeeding and negligence or because the trailer suddenly came in front of the bus.
