Motihari: Ten people from Motihari, Bihar, including five children, were killed on Friday in a road accident in East Burdwan, West Bengal. Thirty-five others were injured when their bus collided with a parked truck near Nala Ferry Ghat on National Highway 19. The victims were returning home from a pilgrimage to Gangasagar.
Police said all the deceased were residents of the Chiraiya police station area in Motihari, from the villages of Sarsawa, Lalbegiya and Chiraiya. The bus had 45 passengers who had started their journey on 8 August, visiting Deoghar first and then Gangasagar.
Survivors told their families that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the crash. The front part of the bus was badly damaged in the collision. The injured were taken to Burdwan Medical College for treatment.
District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said police and administration teams were on the spot for relief and rescue work. The administration is also arranging to hand over the bodies to the victims’ families and is investigating the cause of the accident.
