Bus in gorge, three injured

Ranchi, Feb. 20: The driver of an empty bus and his two assistants sustained critical injuries when the passenger vehicle rolled down a slope and into a 20-feet-deep gorge on NH-23, 10km from the state capital, on Monday morning.

The accident took place at mishap magnet Katahal More on Ranchi-Itki Road under Pandra police outpost in Sukhdeonagar, where a school bus carrying students had met with a similar misadventure in September 2010.

According to police, the bus was on its way to Ranchi from a garage, where it had been repaired, around 11am when it overturned and rolled down the slope.

Since there were no eyewitnesses and the victims, who are admitted to a private hospital, are not in a position to speak, police have not yet ascertained whether the bus had developed a snag or the driver simply lost control of the vehicle.

Officer in charge of Pandra outpost K.K. Jha said the accident took place because the bus lost balance. "But why exactly that happened needs to be ascertained once the driver and the others recover from their injuries," he added.

Jha maintained that the accident would have been of a more serious nature if the bus was carrying passengers. "Fortunately, the bus was empty. The load (of passengers) would have increased the impact of the crash into the deep gorge. There could have been casualties, too," he explained.

Owner of the bus Punku Kumar refused to comment on the possible reason behind the mishap, saying he was busy at the hospital.

"My staff are serious. Let me attend to them first," he said.

Locality residents, meanwhile, pointed out that minor and major accidents were frequent at Katahal More, which is close to the Bajra rivulet. On September 21, 2010, a bus carrying 41 students of DAV, Hehal, had skidded off the same highway and rolled down the same slope before crash-landing into the gorge.

"A car had overtaken the school bus from the wrong side and led to the accident. Mishaps are routine on this stretch, but not all are reported to the police. The highway is narrow here and there should be a speed limit, but no one seems to care. Either the road must be widened or a leash put on speeding vehicles," said Sandeep Oraon, a resident of nearby Bajra.