Punjab Newsline | Jalandhar
A tanker and a container truck collided head-on near Punjabi Bagh on the Jalandhar-Pathankot Highway early Monday morning, leaving both drivers injured and causing significant damage to the vehicles.
The accident took place at around 4:30 am when the tanker, reportedly travelling from Srinagar to Panipat, collided with a container heading from Jalandhar towards Jammu.
According to preliminary information, the tanker driver allegedly dozed off while driving near Punjabi Bagh. The tanker crossed the divider and entered the opposite carriageway before crashing into the oncoming container.
The tanker driver, Vichitra Singh, a resident of Barwa village in Kurukshetra, Haryana, and the container driver, Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Chilani village in Jammu, sustained injuries in the collision.
Rakesh Kumar became trapped inside the badly damaged cabin of the container. Locals and rescuers used a tractor to pull the damaged cabin. The tractor was connected to the container with a chain, and after nearly an hour of efforts, the driver was safely extricated.
He was subsequently shifted to a private hospital in a 108 ambulance, where both injured drivers are undergoing treatment.
On receiving information about the accident, ASI Randhir Singh of the Road Safety Force reached the spot along with a police team. Cranes were used to remove the damaged vehicles from the highway.
Traffic on the route was restored within about an hour of the accident, while the injured drivers were also taken to hospital in time.
