Buldhana Bus Accident: The driver of the bus returning from Amarnath is among those who died.
Six people were killed and 19 injured in a major road accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana late last night. According to the police, two buses collided head-on at around 2:30 am on NH 53 at Nandur Naka flyover in Malkapur area.
One of the buses, owned by a company named Balaji Travels, was returning to Hingoli district from the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage, while the other, owned by Royal Travels company, was heading to Nashikm officials said.
One of the buses overtook the other at Nandur Naka after which the two collided. Six passengers have died, officials said. Around 20 others who were injured were admitted to a hospital in Buldhana. 32 passengers with minor injuries have been given first-aid at a nearby Gurudwara.
The driver of the bus returning from Amarnath is among those who died.
According to the Highway Police, traffic has been restored after removing the bus from the road.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed grief over the accident, and announced Rs 5 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund as compensation to the families of those who died. The Chief Minister also directed officials to provide proper medical treatment to the injured at government expense.
This is the second major bus accident in the Buldhana district recently. On July 1, at least 25 people, including three children, were burnt to death, and eight others were injured when the bus they were travelling in caught fire on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway in the district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had then said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of lives.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had also expressed his anguish over the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for families of those who have died.
Earlier, on May 23, seven people were killed, and 13 others injured after a bus collided with a truck on the Nagpur-Pune highway in the Buldhana district.