Bus-truck collision kills 3, injures 40

Three persons including a woman died and 40 others were injured in a road accident in North Bengal.

An accident took place at Bhoberhat area on Mathabhanga-Cooch Behar road when a Nayarhat bound private bus collided with a truck on early Thursday morning taking lives of three passengers including a woman. Around 40 passengers were injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

The intensity of the accident was so high that the bus fell on the roadside ditch after hitting the truck that was coming from the opposite direction. The local people heard a loud thud and reached the spot to see the passengers writhed in pain. The driver and helper of the vehicle died in the accident. The local people took part in the rescue operations before the police reached the spot. They took the injured to Mathabhanga Hospital where they are undergoing treatment. Most of the passengers have suffered head injuries. The condition of the some of the passengers was stated to be serious. As a result of the accident, the Mathabhnaga-Cooch Behar road was closed for few hours causing huge traffic jam in the nearby areas. Police have started investigating the matter. 

According to the preliminary investigation, police suspect that the bus was at a high speed when it lost its control and collided head on with a truck coming from the opposite direction. The bus driver applied sudden brake to prevent the collision but failed to do so.

Another mishap took place at Matigara in Siliguri when a truck lost its control and dashed into four cars one after another and a motorcycle at around 11 pm on late Wednesday night. Two persons died in the accident while five others were injured.

Police said that the Kolkata bound truck was running at a high speed when it lost its control and hit the cars from behind. The truck driver absconded after the accident. 

The injured were taken to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. There was a traffic jam at Matigara following the accident. After being informed, police reached the spot and brought the situation under control. Police were conducting raids to nab the driver of the vehicle.