Alwar, May 23 (IANS) Around 40 passengers were injured after a sleeper coach bus overturned on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Alwar district on Saturday while travelling from Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh to Govardhan in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

The accident took place in the jurisdiction of the Reni Police Station area on the expressway, triggering panic and chaos at the scene as injured passengers cried for help after the bus overturned and fell into a deep roadside ditch.

According to officials, the accident occurred at around 7 a.m. near Chainage 139.6 on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway when the sleeper bus, reportedly travelling in the wrong lane, lost control and overturned.

The bus was carrying nearly 40 passengers, all of whom sustained injuries of varying severity in the accident.

Police officials said many of the passengers were travelling to participate in religious programmes linked to the ongoing Braj Chaurasi Parikrama pilgrimage being held during Adhik Maas.

Passengers on board the bus were from different regions and were heading towards Govardhan in Mathura to attend religious events and Bhagwat Katha programmes.

Preliminary investigation by the police suggests that the driver may have briefly dozed off while driving, causing the bus to go out of control before overturning on the expressway.

After receiving information about the incident, teams from the Rajasthan Police immediately reached the spot and launched rescue and relief operations under the supervision of Reni Police Station SHO Banesingh Meena.

With the help of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) ambulances, all injured passengers were shifted to Pinan Hospital for treatment.

According to doctors treating the injured, at least six passengers sustained critical injuries and were later referred to Alwar for advanced medical care.

Officials said the number of critically injured passengers referred to Alwar could rise depending on medical assessment.

Police said investigations into the exact circumstances surrounding the accident are underway, though initial findings indicate that the driver falling asleep appears to be the primary reason behind the mishap.

One of the passengers, Lalita Goyal, a resident of Gangapur City, said she had first travelled to Sawai Madhopur and boarded the bus from there to continue her journey to Govardhan.

She stated that the group was travelling to Govardhan Ji to attend a Bhagwat Katha programme.

Following the accident, an NHAI team also reached the spot and assisted in rescue and clearance operations. After all passengers were shifted to hospitals, the overturned bus was later removed from the ditch and restored upright with the help of a JCB machine.

–IANS

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