India

Five Killed, 30 Hurt in Head‑On Bus Collision Near Tarn Taran

By Surjit Singh

A head‑on collision between two buses operating under Punjab’s Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra scheme on National Highway 54 near Naushehra Pannuan village in Tarn Taran district on Saturday killed five people, including one bus driver and two pilgrims, and injured 30 others. Eighteen of the injured pilgrims are reported to be in critical condition. A woman riding a motorcycle was also killed, and the status of a young boy traveling with her is unconfirmed. Six injured passengers were taken to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar, where they are reported to be in stable condition. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expressed deep sadness over the accident and said police and administration were conducting relief operations and ensuring the best possible medical treatment for the injured. Preliminary reports indicate that one bus was returning to Faridkot district after completing a pilgrimage, carrying pilgrims from Lahiridas and Baghiari villages. Eyewitnesses say the crash occurred when a motorcycle carrying a woman and a young boy tried to cross the highway through a cut near Naushehra Pannuan. To avoid hitting the motorcyclists, the driver of the oncoming Faridkot‑bound bus swerved sharply into the opposite lane, colliding head‑on with another Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra bus traveling from Bheediwal village in the Lambi Assembly constituency toward Amritsar. Both buses were badly mangled. The Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra scheme, run by the Aam Aadmi Party‑led Punjab government, provides free pilgrimage trips for elderly residents. Local residents and shopkeepers rushed to the scene to rescue trapped passengers and alert authorities. Several political and local leaders, including Aam Aadmi Party chairmen Harman Singh Maini, Jaskaran Singh Gill and Gurdial Singh Marhana, senior Congress leaders, former MLA Harminder Singh Gill and Angad Singh Sohel, as well as SSP Surendra Lamba and other senior officials, arrived at the site. No official statement on the accident had been issued by the authorities at the time of writing.