Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the loss of lives in a tragic road accident in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district that claimed the lives of five Kanwariyas and left several others injured. The Prime Minister extended his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) expressed grief over the tragedy. In a post on X, the PMO said, “The road accident that occurred in Deoghar, Jharkhand, is extremely tragic. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives in this incident. May God grant them the strength to bear this pain. Along with this, I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured.”
The accident took place early Tuesday near Jamuniya village under the Mohanpur block of Deoghar. A private bus carrying around 35 pilgrims collided head-on with a truck transporting gas cylinders. The vehicle was en route from Deoghar to the Basukinath temple during the ongoing Shravani Mela, when it lost control and hit a stack of bricks after the initial impact.
According to Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Sadar Ravi Kumar, “The information about the accident was received around 4 to 5 am. A private bus, carrying pilgrims from Deoghar to Basukinath, lost control and collided with a truck. The bus then crashed into a pile of bricks. The driver died on the spot. Four more deaths have been confirmed. The injured have been admitted to Deoghar Sadar Hospital.”
Inspector General of Dumka Zone, Shailendra Kumar Sinha, confirmed that the bus was carrying Kanwariyas from Mohanpur and that the collision involved a truck loaded with gas cylinders. “Five Kanwariyas have died in the incident. All the injured have been shifted to the district hospital for treatment,” he said.
Santhal Pargana Zonal IG S K Sinha also confirmed the incident. “Five Kanwariyas have died in a road accident as their bus collided with a truck. Several others are injured. More details are awaited,” he told ANI.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed grief over the incident and directed the district administration to provide all necessary medical aid and assistance. In a post on X, he said, “Extremely sad news was received this morning about the death of devotees in a bus accident near Jamuniya Chowk. May Baba Baidyanath grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the grieving families.”
The site of the crash is located along the banks of the north-flowing Jamuniya River, near a prominent Shiva-Parvati temple. Eyewitnesses said the impact of the collision was severe, leaving the bus mangled and several passengers trapped. Emergency teams, including the police, medical personnel, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), responded promptly to carry out rescue and relief operations.
Further investigation is in progress to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the crash.
(With inputs from ANI)