KARNAL, July 10 — A private electric bus en route from Gurugram to Chandigarh crashed into a truck near Jhilmil Dhaba, around six kilometres from Karnal on NH-44, early Thursday morning, killing the bus driver and injuring eight others.
The deceased has been identified as Daya Singh, who died on the spot after the front of the bus took the full impact of the collision. The conductor, Vimal, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a local hospital along with seven passengers.
According to police, the accident occurred around dawn, when most passengers were asleep. “The only entry door was jammed in the crash. Our team, with the help of locals, rescued the injured by pulling them out through the windows,” said Assistant Sub-Inspector Manjeet Singh of the Sadar police station.
One passenger, who was unhurt, recalled waking up to the chaos. “We were all asleep when it happened. It was sudden. Most of us didn’t understand what went wrong,” he said, requesting anonymity.
The bus had left Gurugram late Wednesday night and was expected to reach Chandigarh by morning. Passengers who escaped injury were later accommodated in other buses or arranged their own transportation.
Preliminary investigation suggests the truck was either parked or moving slowly without any rear signal lights. “It’s too early to draw conclusions, but the position of the truck and the damage to the bus suggest it wasn’t properly visible on the highway,” ASI Manjeet Singh noted. He added that a case would be registered once further statements, especially from the conductor, could be recorded.
The truck driver fled the scene immediately after the crash. “We are trying to trace him. He will be held accountable,” the officer said.
A crane was deployed to clear the wreckage and restore traffic movement on the busy Chandigarh-Delhi corridor, which remained partially disrupted for over an hour.
Police said further action will follow once eyewitness statements and technical analysis of the crash site are completed.
