Heartbreaking scenes unfolded near the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh line after a bus accident killed five passengers and maimed over 20 others. Brake malfunction doomed the Anmol bus traveling from Kurdeg in Simdega to Kunkuri, crashing in Kardega Valley’s Godaamba stretch.
Descending a steep incline, the bus abruptly lost braking power. The driver honked frantically before it skidded, rolled multiple times, and came to rest mangled by the roadside. On-site deaths rose to five as emergency crews worked against time.
Villagers’ heroic efforts complemented official rescue, prying open doors and bandaging wounds on-site. Kunkuri hospital overflowed with the walking wounded, while airlift considerations loomed for six in critical condition shifted to Ambikapur.
The highway turned into a war zone temporarily, with jams stretching kilometers. Cops managed the melee, prioritizing victim aid over traffic.
Investigators zero in on mechanical failure amid whispers of poor upkeep. Echoing Latehar’s grisly January toll of nine deaths in a similar plunge, this underscores a pattern plaguing border roads.
Grief blankets the villages as identities of the deceased emerge—mostly daily wage earners and families. Officials pledge inquiries and relief funds, but activists rally for overhaul: upgraded infrastructure, enforced regulations, and awareness drives. Until then, every trip on these slopes remains a gamble with death.