A devastating bus accident on the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand frontier has left a trail of sorrow, with five lives lost and 80 passengers fighting for survival after their vehicle plunged into a treacherous ravine. The incident, which happened amid heavy downpours, highlights the deadly risks of poorly engineered roads in India’s tribal heartlands.
Traveling from Antagarh to Jamshedpur, the bus hit a sharp turn near the border outpost when its tires lost grip on the muddy slope. It flipped repeatedly, ejecting passengers and crushing others under its weight at the gorge’s base. First responders faced a nightmare: twisted metal, scattered belongings, and cries for help piercing the night.
Medical teams triaged victims on-site, prioritizing the severely hurt who were choppered to Raipur and Ranchi hospitals. The toll includes two elderly pilgrims, a young mother, and two men; injuries range from spinal damage to internal bleeding.
As families flock to hospitals, authorities have suspended the driver’s associate and impounded similar vehicles for checks. Compensation announcements and probe orders followed swift political responses. This catastrophe serves as a stark reminder for comprehensive safety audits, better signage, and guardrails on these forgotten highways connecting remote communities.