Bus falls into canal, at least 25 injured

The driver of a private bus lost control of the steering wheel and his vehicle fell on a roadside canal at Keshpur in West Midnapore district. The incident took place at around 6 am on Wednesday. At least 25 passengers including the driver of the bus were injured. The injured persons were taken to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. Seven among those 25 passengers were critically injured.

Policemen along with local villagers rescued the people trapped inside the bus. The investigators suspected that the driver was intoxicated while driving. "We took the injured persons to Keshpur rural health centre. After the primary treatment, those people were sent to Midnapore Medical College," said a villager.

The investigators learnt that the bus was running in high speed towards Haldia. Most of the passengers in the bus was members of a Jatra-group who were going to attend their show in Haldia.

"The bus lost control near Jhetla area and rammed into a pillar of a culvert. It then fell into the canal," said a police officer.

"The canal was almost dry and the passengers survived. No death was reported from the spot," said local villagers.

The villagers, however, expressed their concern over reckless driving. "Most of the buses and trucks run in high speed here. Errant drivers do not care about the pedestrians. Many children and elderly residents pass by this road. But these drivers are simply careless," said a villager.

Bengal government is spreading awareness against rash driving. 'Safe Drive, Save Life' — the special initiative have been taken to make the drivers aware. The pedestrians were also requested to abide by the traffic rules. However, the statistics have shown that a large number of accidents take place on highways due to driver's fatigue as well.