Gwalior, February 21 – At least five people were killed and seven others were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a van on a national highway in the Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh during the night of Friday and Saturday, police said.
The accident occurred between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. near the Chhikma village, which falls under the Gohad police station jurisdiction. The impact was so severe that the van was completely crushed, trapping several passengers inside.
According to police, the ill-fated van was travelling from Gwalior to Bhind, while the bus was coming from the opposite direction. Four people died on the spot, while a fifth succumbed to injuries after being taken to the hospital.
Upon receiving information, a team from the Gohad police station rushed to the scene, rescued the injured passengers, and transported them to nearby hospitals in Bhind and Gwalior in multiple ambulances.
Manish Dhakad, the in-charge of the Gohad police station, said that only two of the deceased – Atul Shivhare and Jagdish Bhadauria, both residents of the Bhind district – have been identified so far. Efforts are underway to identify the remaining victims.
The injured have been identified as Ketu (10), Santosh (37), Pradeep (22), Mewaram (61), Ramlakhan (59), Meera (61), and Sukhveer (50), all residents of different villages in the Bhind district.
At least two of the injured are reportedly in critical condition and have been referred to the district hospital in Gwalior.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the collision occurred at a turn on the highway, and that the bus may have been exceeding the speed limit. Police also suspect that low visibility due to dense fog in the Gwalior-Chambal region could have contributed to the accident.
Both vehicles have been removed from the road, and traffic has since been restored. Further investigation is underway.
