SANGRUR: Three passengers were killed and 26 injured after a speeding Punjab Road Transport Corporation bus hit an overbridge and plunged into a roadside ditch on Bathinda-Chandigarh National Highway in Sangrur on Wednesday morning.The Chandigarh-bound bus had left Sangrur with many morning commuters when it reportedly lost control near the highway overbridge. The accident took place around 5.20am.It hit the bridge structure, veered off the road and overturned in adjoining fields. Local residents and passersby began rescue operations before police arrived.Sangrur Civil Hospital senior medical officer Dr Vinod Kumar said three passengers were brought dead to the emergency ward.The deceased have been identified as Rajwinder Kaur, 30, Mohinder Kaur, 34, and Manjit Singh, 60. Their bodies were shifted to the mortuary for post-mortem examinations.Of the injured, 12 were in critical condition and referred by emergency ambulances to Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, Dr Vinod said.He said the critical patients had suffered serious injuries including ortho and head injuries.The remaining passengers, including a seven-year-old boy, were being treated at Sangrur Civil Hospital under medical observation.Investigating officer sub-inspector Mehar Singh, also SHO of Sadar Sangrur police station, said the weather was clear and visibility was not affected by morning fog.Preliminary inquiries and eyewitness accounts indicated the bus was travelling at high speed, causing the driver to lose control, he said. SHO said that around 50 passengers were travelling in the bus when the accident occurred.Police initiated inquest proceedings, sent the bodies for autopsy and opened an investigation to establish the sequence of events.An FIR was being registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions. Bus driver Chandan Singh was also injured and hospitalised.PRTC contractual worker union President Harkesh Kumar said the bus belonged to Sangrur depot and reportedly lost control in an attempt to escape an accident with a car; however, the matter was under police investigation.PRTC GM operations AS Tiwana and Sangrur depot GM Sangrur MS Sidhu could not be contacted for comments despite several attempts.
