Driver Vikas Pathak says he pulled the handbrake and cut the engine, and still could not stop the bus. It came down a steep slope near the Orsa Bangladara ghati, on the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand border, on Sunday, and at least five people died.
The bus had left Balrampur district in Chhattisgarh with wedding guests bound for Mahuadanr in Jharkhand’s Latehar district. Gulf News put the passenger count at 87 and said most were headed to a pre-marriage function in Lodh village. The Times of India said around 90 were aboard. Authorities told Gulf News the bus was overloaded.
How the bus went over
Eyewitnesses said Pathak lost control on a sharp turn. The bus hit a guard rail, struck a tree and dropped nearly 20 feet into a gorge, trapping several passengers inside the wrecked body. Pathak survived. He told police the gradient made it impossible to regain control. In the words attributed to him by the Times of India: “The brakes of the bus failed.”
The crash fell under the Mahuadanr police station’s jurisdiction.
Casualties
The toll differed between reports. Police officials quoted by Gulf News said five people died, four men and one woman, all from Balrampur district, and that their identities were not yet confirmed. The Times of India, citing police, reported at least seven dead, including five women.
Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav told PTI that five people died on the spot. “Among them, four were women,” he said. One more person died later at the Mahuadanr community health centre, an official added.
More than 80 people were hurt. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai put the injured at 87, with 27 at Carmel Hospital and 60 at the community health centre. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vipin Kumar Dubey said more than 20 of the injured went to the private RIMS Ranchi. Gulf News reported that at least 30 are in critical condition and have been referred to Ranchi.
Rescue and response
Local residents and police worked together to pull passengers from the wreckage, and the injured were rushed to the Mahuadanr community hospital and Carmel Hospital.
Sai wrote on X that the crash was “deeply saddening” and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He said he had directed officials to provide all necessary medical care to the seriously injured. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, also on X, urged the Latehar deputy commissioner to make sure the injured received proper medical facilities.
District officials said all medical expenses for the victims would be covered, and that arrangements were being made to support the families of the dead. Authorities are investigating whether negligence or mechanical failure played a part.
Sources
- 5 killed, 80 injured in bus plunges into gorge
- Jharkhand: At least 7 killed, over 80 injured as wedding bus overturns in Latehar; driver reports brake failure | Ranchi News – The Times of India
