What began as a spiritual pilgrimage ended in horror on Tuesday morning when a momentary lapse by a bus driver cost 18 lives and left 23 others injured near the Bihar-Jharkhand border.
Around 4:30 am, a private bus ferrying Kanwariyas returning from their yatra to Baba Baidyanath temple rammed into a truck carrying gas cylinders near the Jamunia forest area under Mohanpur block in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district. The driver, officials say, had dozed off at the wheel.
The impact was immediate and catastrophic. The bus driver died on the spot. But the worst wasn’t over. With no one at the wheel, the vehicle hurtled on for nearly 500 metres, ultimately smashing into a roadside heap of bricks near Jamunia Chowk. Six more people were killed on the spot, and many others suffered grievous injuries. Eyewitness accounts and police statements suggest that the death toll may still rise.
“Almost everyone in the bus was returning after worshipping… The driver had probably fallen asleep; that’s when all this happened," said Ramanuj Yadav, a resident who witnessed the wreckage and helped with rescue efforts.
The bus, a 32-seater, was en route to Basukinath when the collision occurred. The truck that crashed into was transporting highly flammable gas cylinders, heightening the risk and panic at the scene. Fortunately, there was no fire.
Responding swiftly, officials from Mohanpur police station, CCR DSP Laxman Prasad, SDO Ravi Kumar, and District Council President Kiran Kumari reached the site. Emergency teams rushed the injured to Deoghar Sadar Hospital, where doctors are working round the clock to stabilise the survivors.
Inspector General of Dumka Zone Shailendra Kumar Sinha confirmed the details and said investigations are underway. “A bus carrying Kanwariyas collided with a gas-laden truck. Several of the injured are critical," he noted.
This tragic crash has cast a long shadow over the month of Shravan, a time otherwise marked by chants, devotion, and saffron-clad faith. For the families now preparing for funerals instead of welcoming their loved ones home, that devotion has turned into unimaginable grief.
