Deoghar: At least five Kanwariyas were killed and several others seriously injured after their bus collided with a truck carrying cylinders in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district early on Tuesday. Godda MP Nishikant Dubey has claimed that 18 pilgrims were killed in the accident.
According to the police, the accident occurred around 4.30 am near Jamuniya forest within the Mohanpur police station limits. The number of casualties may rise, as the condition of several of the injured is critical, an official said.
“18 devotees lost their lives due to a bus and truck accident. May Baba Baidyanath Ji grant strength to their families to bear this grief,” Dubey posted on X.
The police have, however, confirmed five deaths but said that the toll is likely to rise.
“The bus collided with a truck transporting gas cylinders near Jamuniya forest in the Mohanpur police station area in Deoghar,” inspector general (Dumka Zone) Shailendra Kumar Sinha said.
He added that the district administration was alerted, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals and primary health centres.
The devotees were returning from the Babadham Temple in Deoghar when the accident occurred. Officials have said that over three lakh devotees visited the Temple in Deoghar on the occasion of the third Somwari during the ongoing holy month of Shravan.