Ranchi, February 4: In a tragic incident, five people were killed and 40 injured in a bus accident in Dhanbad on Sunday at around 4 am. The people were returning from a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) rally in Dumka. Amongst dead were three women and an eight-year-old boy, reported Hindustan Times. The accident took place as the driver was allegedly half asleep and the bus hit a tree by the road near Kachuwabandh village, around 270km northeast of capital Ranchi. The bus was also reported to be overloaded and was running at high speed. Bihar Bus Accident: 3 Killed, 25 Injured After Vehicle Falls Into Roadside Ditch.

Deoghar deputy commissioner (DC) Rahul Kumar Sinha told Hindustan Times, “Five persons died on the spot, while 16 injured were brought to Sadar and a few other private hospitals in Deoghar.” The deceased were identified as Badal Hansda, 60, Pabnit Besra, 38, Surajmani Soren, 33, Gulabi Murmu, 27, and her son Sunil Marandi, 8. According to the report, more than 70 villagers had boarded the bus, which started from Dumka around 2.45am, heading for Madhupur in Deoghar. The victims went to participate in the JMM rally, organised to mark the party’s foundation day, at Dumka on Saturday night.

As soon as the locals got news of the accident, they reached the spot and helped the police in rescue operations. The injured were brought to the Community Health Centre (CHC), and then referred to Deoghar Sadar hospital. The district administration paid Rs 20,000 to each family for last rites under the social security scheme. Bus Accident Kills 7 in Himachal Pradesh After Driver Loses Control of Vehicle, Over 20 Injured.

According to the report, the condition of eight persons among the injured was critical. BJP legislator and labour and employment minister Raj Paliwar; JMM leader and former assembly speaker Shasank Sekhar Bhokta; and JMM leader and former minister Haji Hussain Ansari also visited the injured in the hospital. The BJP legislator held the JMM responsible for the tragic incident. JMM leader Ansari said that it was merely an accident, which should not be politicised for political gains.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 04, 2019 04:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).