Three killed in bus-canter collision near Rampura Phul

Our Correspondent

Bathinda, May 21

Three persons were killed and 18 injured in a head-on collision between a PRTC bus and a canter at Jethuke village near Rampura Phul on the Bathinda-Barnala highway this morning.

The drivers of both vehicles and a bus passenger were killed. The Rampura Sadar police registered a case under Sections 304A, 279, 337, 338 and 427 of the IPC.

A passenger said the bus was on its way to Chintpurni (Himachal Pradesh) from Bathinda via Ludhiana. Around 6.10 am, the bus collided with a cement-laden canter. Both vehicles were badly damaged. Only half of the highway was open for traffic due to the ongoing work.

The deceased were identified as bus driver Malkeet Singh (27), a resident of Kaubke (Jagraon) in Ludhiana district; canter driver Jagsir Singh (32), a resident of Malkana in Bathinda district; and Kaushalya Devi of New Patel Nagar, Ludhiana.

Eleven injured passengers were admitted to the Rampura Phul Civil Hospital, while seven others were taken to private hospitals in Bathinda and Rampura.

Balwinder Singh, SHO, Rampura Sadar, said, “We have filed a case against unidentified accused as both drivers lost their lives. An investigation is in progress.”