Kolkata: At least one person was killed and around 30 others were injured early Wednesday morning when a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh (UP) crashed into the rear of a truck at Gurap in Hooghly.
According to sources, a group of pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh was travelling to Gangasagar via Deoghar in Jharkhand as part of the ‘Chardham’ Yatra.
Their journey began from Deoghar on Tuesday night. Early Wednesday morning, while passing through the Bashipur area in Gurap along National Highway (NH)-19, the bus collided with the rear of a truck.
Due to the impact, the bus came to a halt after pushing the truck for a few hundred metres. Within a few moments, police reached the spot and rescued the passengers.
The injured persons were rushed to the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, where one of them, identified as Ramdev Mishra, was declared brought dead. The other injured passengers are still undergoing treatment.
The passengers who remained unhurt were accommodated in a community centre. An alternative bus has been arranged for their return.
It is suspected that the bus driver had fallen asleep due to fatigue from continuous driving throughout the night.