At least seven people were killed and over 20 others injured in two separate road incidents reported from the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh region on Friday, officials said.
In the first incident, five people were killed and over 17 others injured after a passenger bus traveling from Simdega in Jharkhand to Kunkuri in Chhattisgarh overturned in the Kardega Chowki area of Jashpur district.
Four of the injured are reported to be in critical condition and have been referred to Ambikapur Medical College for advanced treatment.
The bus was carrying more than two dozen passengers when the accident occurred around 9:45 a.m. near Godaamba village. According to preliminary reports, the bus lost control after its brakes failed while descending a slope.
Passengers on board reportedly raised alarm and asked the driver to stop the vehicle, but the conductor warned that the brakes had malfunctioned, triggering panic inside the bus.
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The speeding vehicle soon crashed into an under-construction house along the roadside before overturning.
The crash created panic in the area, prompting villagers to rush to the spot and begin rescue efforts. Local residents alerted authorities and helped evacuate the injured passengers. A JCB machine was later used to lift the overturned bus and rescue those trapped inside.
Officials confirmed that five people died in the accident. The deceased included Mahesh Ram (45) and his wife Bimla (42), residents of Makribandha, Sampati Devi (52) from Simdega, and Digeshwar (40) of Dhodhi along with his five-month-old son Ghanshyam.
In a separate incident in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, two people were killed and six others seriously injured after a speeding vehicle allegedly rammed into several villagers in Napo Khurd village under the Barkagaon police station limits.
According to local residents, a Scorpio vehicle entered the village at high speed, hit multiple people and then crashed into a house before overturning. Rohit Sao, son of Bhikhan Sao, and Pradeep Sao, son of Beni Sao, died on the spot.
Police said preliminary investigation suggests the incident may have been linked to personal enmity rather than a road accident.
The injured have been admitted to different hospitals for treatment, with two undergoing treatment at RIMS in Ranchi, two at Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh, and the remaining two at a private hospital in the district.
Authorities have launched further investigations into both incidents.
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