Tarn Taran: Four persons were killed and 18 others injured after two Punjab govt-run pilgrimage buses collided on National Highway-54 near Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran district on Saturday evening.The accident occurred around 4pm when the driver of one bus swerved to avoid hitting a motorcycle crossing the road, lost control, crossed the divider and crashed into another bus coming from the opposite direction. The woman riding pillion on the motorcycle was also killed. A loud, explosion-like sound was heard at the time of the collision.Tarn Taran deputy commissioner Nirmal Osephchan said one bus was travelling from Faridkot towards Amritsar, while the other was heading from Amritsar towards Muktsar. The collision was a side-on impact, he said.Senior superintendent of police Surendra Lamba confirmed that three pilgrims and the motorcycle pillion rider had died, while 18 others were injured. Four of the injured were in critical condition and admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar.Civil surgeon Dr Sandeep Dhawan said 22 people were brought to the civil hospital in Tarn Taran, including four who were declared dead. Five injured persons were referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, while the condition of the other injured pilgrims was stable, he said. The deceased woman was identified as Lakhwinder Kaur, while the identities of the three pilgrims were yet to be established.Both buses were badly damaged, with their front portions crushed in the impact. Several passengers were trapped inside the wreckage. Local residents rushed to the spot and helped rescue them before they were shifted to hospitals.The two buses were carrying 37 pilgrims under the state govt’s Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Scheme, which provides free AC sleeper bus travel, accommodation and food to eligible residents aged 50 years and above.Chief minister Bhagwant Mann condoled the deaths and said he had issued strict instructions to officials to ensure the injured received the best possible medical treatment without delay. “I am deeply saddened to learn that four have lost their lives in this tragic accident,” Mann said in a post on X. He expressed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
