Jharkhand accident: 16 die, 26 hurt as bus collides with truck in Pakur district

At least 16 people were killed and 26 others suffered injuries in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck transporting gas cylinders in Jharkhand's Pakur district on Wednesday morning.

Police said the injured persons are receiving treatment at different hospitals, adding at least three of them are in critical condition.

"The reasons behind the accident were rash driving and poor visibility due to fog," an officer was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The accident happened around 8.30am on the Govindpur-Sahebganj state highway at Paderkola village in Amrapara police station area.

The bus with 40 passengers on board was heading to Jasidih in Deoghar district from Barharwa in Sahibganj district, police said.

One of the critical patients has been referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi and the process to shift the others is underway, the PTI reported.

The injured persons were initially admitted to the Sadar Hospital in the district.

Several people were trapped inside the bus, and they were being brought out after dismantling the vehicle with gas-cutters, police said.

The impact of the accident was such that the front ends of both the vehicles got stuck to each other. Both the bus and the truck were speeding, and it is suspected that heavy fog in the area, which brought down the visibility, led to the accident, they said.

The toll could have risen significantly had the gas cylinders on the truck exploded, police said.

Chief minister Hemant Soren condoled the deaths and directed the district administration to ensure proper treatment of the injured persons.