Jharkhand Tragedy: At least 5 Kanwariya Pilgrims Killed In Deoghar Bus-Truck Collision

A devastating bus-truck collision on July 29, in Deoghar, Jharkhand, has left at least 5 Kanwariya pilgrims dead and several injured.

Representative Image: ANI

A fatal road crash in Jharkhand's Deoghar district in the early hours of Tuesday has killed a large number of Kanwariya pilgrims. A bus full of devotees rammed into a truck carrying gas cylinders along the road near Jamuniya forest in the area of the Mohanpur police station at 4:30 AM.

While initial accounts by officials were inconsistent, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, whose Deoghar is part of his Lok Sabha constituency, told the Times of India that at aleast 5 individuals were killed in the accident. Inspector General (Dumka Zone) Shailendra Kumar Sinha did confirm to PTI that the 32-seater Kanwariya bus had collided with a truck, but initially quoted five deaths. Traffic Deputy SP Laxman Prasad put the immediate toll of deaths at at least nine, however. The gap between numbers indicates the dynamic nature of the situation and the precarious condition of numerous injured individuals.

"In my Lok Sabha constituency of Deoghar, during the Kanwar Yatra in the month of Shravan, at aleast 5 pilgrims were killed in a bus and truck accident," MP Dubey later reported, conveying great grief.

After getting the word from local people, Mohanpur Police Station in-charge Priya Ranjan promptly reached the spot along with his team. He promptly alerted the Mohanpur Block Development Officer, and jointly, they organized the shifting of the injured to the Mohanpur Community Health Centre (CHC) in ambulance. The seriously injured are being referred to Deoghar Sadar Hospital from the CHC for better medical attention.

The bodies have not been identified as yet since their remains are being taken to Deoghar Sadar Hospital to be post-mortem examined. Locals present at the accident site reported that over 20 worshippers got severe injuries, and there is a fear that the total deaths can increase further. The authorities have initiated an inquiry in order to determine the cause of the disastrous crash.