One killed, 35 injured in bus-tanker collision in HP

Dharamshala, May 8 (UNI) A 40-year old Delhi resident was killed and 35 injured, seven of them seriously, after an oil tanker crashed into a state-run bus near Thanpuri village on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway this morning.

Kangra DSP Jeet Singh told UNI here that the tanker crashed into the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus coming from the opposite direction near Thanpuri village in the district, killing one person, identified as Adbul Khalid, 40, on the spot.

The bus was on its way to Pathankot from Palampur, he said.

Kangra SDM Paul Rasu said 12 of the injured had been admitted to Dr R P Government Medical College and Hospital at Dharamshala, while 17 injured in the accident were admitted to Nagrota Bhagwan Community Health Centre.

He said six others were undergoing treatment at Kangra Civil Hospital.

The bus and tanker drivers were among the injured, he said.

The SDM said the relatives of the deceased had been informed about the accident and the body would be handed over to them after post mortem examination.

The district administration has also announced immediate relief to the injured, he said, adding that investigations were on to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Vehicular traffic on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway remained blocked for more than two and half hours following the accident, police sources added.

Thirty one people have been killed and several injured in two separate road accidents in Shimla and Sirmaur districts of the state in less than a week due to disregard for traffic regulations, lax police enforcement of laws and a casual attitude towards safety.

UNI