Nightmare on the Banga Flyover
In the early hours of Monday, a Volvo tour bus carrying 41 passengers on a Manali‑Amritsar itinerary lost control on a flyover near Mazari village and fell onto the service lane below. The crash, reported at roughly 4:40 a.m., sent shockwaves through the quiet town of Banga, Punjab.
Casualties and Injured Travelers
The impact claimed four lives. Among the deceased were Josna George, a student from Kerala studying at Lovely Professional University, chartered accountant Vishal Rattu of Amritsar, and Aditya Gautam from Ludhiana. The identity of the fourth victim remains unconfirmed.
Sixteen passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals. Police later transferred the critically wounded to better‑equipped facilities in Banga. The remaining 21 travelers escaped with minor or no injuries and were escorted from the scene with their luggage.
Rescue Efforts and Police Response
Local law‑enforcement, led by Banga DSP Harjit Singh Randhawa, arrived within minutes of the first emergency call. Rescue teams pried open the mangled vehicle, extricating trapped passengers and securing personal belongings. The injured were loaded onto ambulances and taken to medical centres, while the bodies of Josna George and Vishal Rattu were handed over to their families after post‑mortem examinations. The remaining remains are being kept at the Shivpuri Baba Gola mortuary.
Driver Detained and Investigation Initiated
Authorities detained the driver, Vivek Kumar of Sharna village, Balh (Ratti) in Himachal Pradesh. A case has been filed against him under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with investigators probing whether driver fatigue or other negligence caused the bus to veer off the flyover.
Police are reviewing CCTV footage, eyewitness statements and the bus’s mechanical condition to reconstruct the chain of events that led to the tragic plunge.
Aftermath and Community Reaction
The residents of Banga remain in mourning as families await further details. The tragedy has revived calls for stricter safety inspections of tourist buses and stricter driver‑alertness protocols on high‑speed routes.
