Seven killed as bus rams into truck in Amritsar

A bus rammed into a truck on the Amritsar-Pathankot Highway in Punjab on Tuesday, leaving seven persons dead on the spot.

According to reports, the bus was on way to Amritsar from Pathankot and collided with a truck, which was plying on the wrong side near Sohian village.

Sub-inspector, Amritsar, Sukhdev Singh, said: "The road was under construction. It was turned into a one way lane. Bus was moving along the way because the other side was closed. But truck driver didn't bother to see and straight away hit the bus. 6 people traveling in the bus have died. The bus driver has also expired and was hurt badly."

Seven persons were killed on the spot, while the 14 others were injured and rushed to the nearby hospital. The condition of five passengers undergoing treatment is said to be critical.

An injured victim named Sikander said: "We were going to Amritsar from Batala. Bus driver was driving at a very high speed. He could not control. He tried to overtake the truck and the bus got out of control and smashed into the truck."

Police said investigations are still on.

Road accidents are common in India, where roads are often of poor quality and vehicles are usually overloaded with passengers. Transport officials attribute a large number of accidents in India to reckless driving and untrained drivers.