Patti, December 14
At least six persons died on the spot while 32 sustained injuries, six of them seriously, when a private mini bus fell into a nullah, near here, while crossing a narrow dilapidated bridge.
The bus which was coming from Harike via Paringri village to Patti fell when the driver tried to save a cyclist who was coming from opposite direction. While the cyclist Swarn Singh was unhurt, his wife Rajbir Kaur (30) and daughter Sharnjit Kaur (9) died on the spot. The efforts of the rescue team to find the driver yielded no results.
The bus was packed to capacity. Those seriously injured have been referred to Guru Nanak Hospital and Guru Ram Dass Hospital.
As many as 150 jawans led by Major Rajesh Grower rushed to the site from the adjoining military headquarters and saved many lives. They took the injured to the hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Kulwant Kaur of Paringri village, Jarnail Singh of Nabbipur village, Gurdip Singh of Patti and Punna of Paringri village. Those referred to the Amritsar hospitals are Swinder Kaur, Ajit Kaur, Mandhiraj Singh, Hardip Singh and Tarlok Singh.
