An overloaded Haryana Roadways mini bus overturned near Pinjore on Monday, leaving 50 injured, including over 40 school children, officials said. Authorities are yet to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg said the bus overturned while negotiating a curve. “The mini bus overturned near a turn. The reasons behind the accident are under investigation. Our main focus at the moment was on rescue. All children are stable, no one has a threatening or critical injury," Garg told reporters at the civil hospital in Panchkula. "Thirty children have been brought to the civil hospital in Panchkula. Others are under observation in Pinjore," he said.
Four adults were also brought to the civil hospital in Panchkula and one of them is a 60-year-old woman who suffered a crush injury on her arm. She has been referred to PGIMER at Chandigarh, he said. He added another injured person has been shifted to the ICU.
Panchkula CMO Dr Mukta Kumar told ANI, "46 injured have been admitted to the Pinjore polyclinic since morning. Out of all the patients, only three are adults and the rest are children. The situation is under control and for now, all patients are stable.”
Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, who is the BJP MLA from Panchkula, told reporters that the accident occurred near a village in Panchkula. Gupta said the driver and conductor of the bus have been suspended.
"The bus was overloaded and we have been told that the vehicle's speed was slightly in excess. As it approached a turn, it overturned," Gupta said. "Our first priority was to rescue and give the best treatment to the injured," he added.
-with agency inputs.
