Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Feb 26: A tragic accident in Bihar’s Rohtas district left one person dead and 21 others injured early Thursday morning when a truck collided with a bus carrying pilgrims. The incident occurred around 3 a.m. near Jamuhar on National Highway-19, under the jurisdiction of the Dehri Mufassil police station.

According to authorities, the truck struck the bus multiple times from the side and dragged it for nearly two kilometres before fleeing the scene, leaving passengers injured and the vehicle badly damaged. An elderly passenger died on the spot, while the others were immediately rushed to Narayan Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Doctors are monitoring the injured, including nine women and one child.

The bus driver, Sonu Kumar, said the truck repeatedly rammed the bus despite passengers shouting for help. “A truck was travelling ahead of us. It hit the bus three times from the side and dragged us for about two kilometres. There were 22 people on board,” he said.

All passengers were pilgrims from Tamil Nadu belonging to the Gayatri Parivar, travelling from Varanasi to Gaya for a religious pilgrimage. The deceased was identified as Ramo, a resident of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. His body has been sent to Sasaram for post-mortem, and police have informed his family.

The Dehri Mufassil police, who were already patrolling the highway, responded immediately to the accident. A search operation is underway to trace the absconding truck and its driver, and further investigation into the circumstances of the crash is in progress.