Five people were killed and over half a dozen were injured when a private bus hit several vehicles on a highway here, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday night in an area between Jattari and Tappal township, they said.
The deceased were identified as Madan Bhagat (62), Dinesh (25), Amar Singh (38), Santosh (22) and bus driver Jaiprakash (45), police said The private bus from Punjab suddenly lost control and hit a dozen vehicles including cars, tempos, and two-wheelers, they said.
While three people died on the spot, two succumbed in the hospital, they said. The police and district officials rushed to the spot and initiated rescue operations, they said.
According to the eyewitnesses, the accident occurred when the bus driver, who appeared to be in an inebriated state, hit a tempo parked on the road. The injured were rushed to district and private hospitals nearby, a district official said, adding they are stated to be stable.
