At least five people were killed and seven others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a van on a National Highway in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, police said. The accident took place between 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. near Chhikma village under the Gohad police station limits.
The impact was so severe that the van was completely crushed, trapping several passengers inside. According to police, the ill-fated van was travelling from Gwalior to Bhind, while the bus was coming from the opposite direction. Four people died on the spot, while a fifth succumbed to injuries after being taken to the hospital.
On receiving information, a team from Gohad police station rushed to the spot, rescued the injured passengers, and sent them to nearby hospitals in Bhind and Gwalior in multiple ambulances. Gohad police station in-charge Manish Dhakad said that only two of the deceased Atul Shivhare and Jagdish Bhadauria, both residents of Bhind district have been identified so far.
Efforts are underway to ascertain the identities of the remaining victims. The injured have been identified as Ketu (10), Santosh (37), Pradeep (22), Mewaram (61), Ramlakhan (59), Meera (61), and Sukhveer (50), all residents of different villages in Bhind district.
At least two of the injured are reported to be in critical condition and have been referred to the district hospital in Gwalior. Preliminary investigation suggests that the collision occurred at a turn on the highway and that the bus may have been overspeeding.
Police also suspect that low visibility due to dense fog in the Gwalior-Chambal region could have contributed to the accident. Both vehicles have been removed from the road, and traffic has since been restored. Further investigation is underway.