19 injured after bus ramstruck on Samruddhi e-way

Washim: Nineteen persons were injured, four of them critically, when a private bus rammed a truck on Samruddhi Expressway in Washim district around 3am on Wednesday.The Sanjay Travels bus, ferrying 34 passengers from Nagpur to Pune, hit the rear of a tipper truck near Kavardari on the stretch between Shelu Bazar and Malegaon. The front portion of the bus was completely smashed following the impact. The four critically injured, including the bus driver and cleaner, were shifted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Washim. The remaining 15 with minor injuries are also being treated at the same hospital.Highway police and emergency rescue teams reached the spot soon after receiving information and pulled the injured out of the mangled vehicle. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as injured passengers cried out for help.Jaulka police station in-charge Kishor Wankhede said, "We are investigating reasons for the crash. As of now, priority is to ensure that the injured receive proper medical care and their relatives are informed."He added they were examining whether the accident was caused by driver fatigue, a technical malfunction or another factor, but preliminary findings indicated the driver may have lost control of the bus before colliding with the truck ahead. The bus's logbook, the driver's hours of service and the condition of the vehicle, will be examined as part of the inquiry, Wankhede added.