Two women were killed and 25 others injured when a Haryana Roadways bus rammed into a tractor-trolley carrying farm labourers near Ellenabad in Sirsa on Saturday morning.

The accident occurred around 9:15 am on Hanumangarh Road near Bajigaron Ki Dhani. The impact overturned the trolley, throwing people, buckets and food items onto the road. Traffic on the stretch was blocked for nearly half an hour before a crane cleared the mangled vehicle.

The deceased were identified as Krishna Devi, mother of six, from Ward 5, and Bimla, mother of three daughters, from Ward 6, Ellenabad. Both were among the labourers headed to Rampura village for cotton harvesting. The work had been arranged by Subhash, a resident of Mamerakalan.

Roshni, one of the injured, recounted the moments before the crash. “The trolley was moving slowly when the bus hit us from behind. I got five stitches on my head, and there’s pain in my neck, elbow, and foot,” she said.

According to Sirsa Roadways Duty Incharge Nandlal, the bus had left Sirsa at 6:50 am for Anupgarh, Rajasthan. Driver Harphool and conductor Piyush Kumar were on duty. No passengers on the bus sustained injuries.

Transport Minister Anil Vij expressed grief over the incident and ordered a high-level inquiry. He said a committee comprising technical experts and police investigators will be constituted to probe the role of Haryana Roadways buses in such accidents.

The minister directed officials to develop a standard protocol for accident investigations. “If any driver is found guilty of negligence or reckless driving, strict action will follow,” he warned.

The police has registered a case against the Haryana Roadways bus driver for speeding and negligent driving. Ravi Kumar, the officer-incharge of Ellenabad Police Station, said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. The accused driver, Harphool Singh a resident of Hijrawa Kalan (Fatehabad), has been arrested. Further investigation is ongoing.