Jalna: More than 40 persons were injured after two Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses, including one with a sizable number of schoolchildren, collided on a narrow bridge in Jalna district Saturday, a police official said.
The incident occurred around 9:15 am near Shahapur village on National Highway 753H when the Beed-Jalna and Bhambri-Ambad buses were coming from opposite directions and tried to cross the narrow bridge at the same time, the official said.
“The Bhambri-Ambad bus had a sizable number of schoolchildren at the time of the accident. Some 43 persons were injured. The drivers of the two buses, identified as SK Thosar and Sarang Dhole, sustained serious wounds. The injured have been hospitalised in the government hospital at Ambad and other facilities in Jalna,” he said.
A team of the highway police under sub-inspector Ramdas Nikam and personnel from Gondi police station led the relief efforts, the official said.
“As per preliminary probe, the accident took place as both drivers attempted to cross the narrow bridge simultaneously without adequately assessing available space, resulting in a head-on collision that extensively damaged the front portions of both buses. The damaged buses were later removed and traffic restored on the route,” he said.
Further investigation is underway, the official added.
