The bus was trying to pass two vehicles when its driver’s side hit an oncoming trailer. That is how Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashok Kumar described Friday’s crash on a national highway in Rajasthan’s Balotra district, near Sarwardi village. It happened at about 4 pm. Six people died and nine were hurt, police said.
Two of the dead were minors. The sleeper bus was travelling from Jodhpur to Sanchore, and the trailer was heading the other way, toward Jodhpur.
Balotra Superintendent of Police Ramesh said all six died at the spot. Police have named five of them so far, all residents of Jalore district: Narpat Kumar, 50, from Chitalwana; Naga Ram, 38, from Sayla; Anusha, 22, from Danta; and two children, Shivraj, 3, and Yuvaraj, 6.
Principal Medical Officer Sandeep Dewat of Balotra Hospital said four of the injured were in critical condition and had been referred to Jodhpur for advanced treatment. The other five were being treated at the Kalyanpur Community Health Centre.
Local police and administration teams ran the rescue. A crane later cleared the wrecked vehicles so traffic could move again.
Police have registered a case and started questioning the trailer driver. “Preliminary investigations suggest that overspeeding and negligence may have contributed to the accident. The exact cause is still under inquiry,” an officer said.
Locals raised a separate complaint. Buses from the same travel company, they said, have been involved in several recent major accidents. They want a full investigation into the company’s operations, its vehicle fitness certificates, its drivers’ duty hours and the technical upkeep of its buses.
