Munish Sood
Two devotees lost their lives and several others sustained injuries after a bus carrying pilgrims from Punjab overturned near Shahtalai, the revered tapobhoomi of Baba Balak Nath, in Bilaspur district on Sunday.
According to officials, the ill-fated bus (PB-03BJ-9755) was carrying devotees from Amritsar, Punjab, who had visited the Baba Balak Nath shrine at Shahtalai. The accident occurred while the bus was returning to Amritsar. Preliminary reports suggest that the driver lost control of the vehicle near Shahtalai, causing the bus to overturn on the roadside.
The mishap triggered panic among passengers, with cries for help echoing across the area. On receiving information, teams from Talai Police Station, members of the Shahtalai Taxi Union and local residents rushed to the spot and immediately launched rescue operations.
The injured passengers were rescued from the overturned bus and shifted to nearby hospitals in private vehicles and taxis for medical treatment. Eyewitnesses claimed that immediate treatment facilities were not available at the Community Health Centre in Shahtalai at the time of the accident, forcing authorities and volunteers to transport the injured to other hospitals without delay.
Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar confirmed that two people had died in the accident. He said the district administration, police, local volunteers and members of the taxi union worked in coordination to carry out the rescue operation and ensure prompt medical assistance to the injured.
Police have registered the case and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
