Two killed, 12 injured as bus collides head-on with truck

Kolkata: Two persons were killed and 12 others have been injured, some of them critically, when a bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck on Barasat-Taki Road on Monday afternoon.

The incident led to tension in the area, with the local residents ransacking the truck. An irate mob also staged a protest demonstration at the Shimultala area on Barasat-Taki Road.

The accident also caused traffic congestion in the area for quite a long time following the incident. A huge contingent of police rushed to the spot and pacified the local people.

The demonstration was later lifted, following the intervention of senior police officers. Police are yet to confirm the identity of the deceased.

According to the local sources, a private bus was coming to Kolkata from Basirhat when it met with the accident. Both the vehicles were at a high speed when the accident took place.

While taking a sharp bend near Shimultala area, the truck driver lost control over the vehicle, when the bus suddenly came close. Both the drivers applied sudden brake but the vehicles did not stop and eventually collided.

The impact of the accident would have been higher, had the drivers not applied the sudden brake.

The local people hear a loud thud and rushed to the spot. They rescued the injured passengers and rushed them to a nearby hospital.

Some of the injured persons, including the deceased, were shifted to Barasat District Hospital as their health condition deteriorated. It has been learnt that both the drivers had fled from the spot immediately after the accident.

The injured passengers have been undergoing treatment in Barasat District Hospital. After the accident police reached the spot and collected samples. Both the vehicles were seized by the police.

Police are trying to know how the accident occurred. They are conducting raids to nab the drivers. The local residents alleged that drivers often over-speed their vehicles on Barasat-Taki Road, resulting in such accidents.