In a tragic incident, two Indian Army jawans were killed while seven others were injured including two in critical condition, when a private bus collided with the autorickshaw they were traveling in near Nagpur on Sunday evening, police reported. The auto driver also suffered grievous injuries in the accident on the Kanhan River bridge near Kamptee town around 5 pm.
The circumstances leading to the collision remain unclear, said senior police officials from Nagpur. The seven injured are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals.
The incident involved 15 jawans from the Army's Guard Regimental Training Center (GRC) at Kamptee, located about 20 km from Nagpur. The soldiers had gone shopping to Kanhan in two autos. On their return, a bus belonging to "Paval Travels" collided with one of the autos, crushing it, an official stated.
"The jawans in the other auto and locals pulled out the soldiers stuck in the accident-hit mangled autorickshaw," the official added.
Among the eight jawans in the auto, Vighnesh and Dheeraj Rai succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The other injured jawans were identified as Din Pradhan, Kumar P, Shekhar Jadhav, Arvind, Murugan, and Nagaratnam.
Kumar P, admitted to a hospital at Kamptee, and Nagaratnam, being treated at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nagpur, is in critical condition. Auto driver Shankar Kharakban is also in serious condition.
Angry people vandalise the bus, block highway
Following the accident, angry locals vandalised the bus and blocked the Nagpur-Jabalpur Highway. Police are investigating the cause of the collision.
The accident highlights the potential dangers on the roads and the importance of road safety. The loss of life and the injuries sustained by the jawans serve as a grim reminder of the perils faced by travelers.
(With PTI Inputs)
ALSO READ | Three labourers killed in gelatin explosion in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar