Sangrur: Three people were killed and 26 injured after a Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) bus rammed into a bridge wall and ploughed into a roadside field near the chief minister’s residence early Wednesday morning.

he bus, which departed from Dhuri for Chandigarh at 4.45am, was allegedly speeding to make up for a late start. Police said the driver lost control near Dreamland Colony in Sangrur, striking the wall of the bridge before veering off into the field on the left. (HT Photo)

The bus, which departed from Dhuri for Chandigarh at 4.45am, was allegedly speeding to make up for a late start. Police said the driver lost control near Dreamland Colony, striking the wall of the bridge before veering off into the field on the left.

The deceased include two women from Dhuri and a man from Thalesan village.

Sangrur deputy superintendent of police Dalbir Singh said the driver, Chandandeep Singh of Pannwanwala village, reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. He is currently undergoing treatment at a Ludhiana hospital. Police have registered a case against him under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Dr Vinod Kumar, the senior medical officer at Sangrur Civil Hospital, said 26 injured passengers were brought to the facility. “While some were discharged after first aid, 12 victims, including the bus driver and conductor, suffered fractures and were referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala,” he said, adding the driver was sent to Ludhiana for advanced care.

Some victims were taken to private hospitals by their families.

Expressing grief over the incident, chief minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X: “The news of the PRTC bus accident in Sangrur is painful. Instructions have been issued to the administration for the free treatment of everyone. May God grant peace to the departed souls and give the families the strength to accept His divine will. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”