Five tourists from Gujarat killed in fog-related road accident on Bathinda–Bikaner National Highway
Preliminary investigation suggests that the victims had travelled from Gujarat to Shimla for a leisure trip and had halted in Bathinda overnight
PTC Web Desk: A tragic road accident claimed the lives of five persons on the Bathinda–Bikaner National Highway on Saturday morning after a speeding SUV rammed into a road divider amid dense fog.
The accident occurred near Pathrala village in Bathinda district when a Gujarat-registered Fortuner lost control and crashed into the divider. Due to the severity of the impact, all five occupants of the vehicle died on the spot.
The police rushed to the scene soon after receiving information and launched rescue and relief operations. The bodies were later shifted to the mortuary of AIIMS Bathinda for post-mortem examination.
The deceased included four men and one woman, aged between 25 and 30 years. They have been identified as Arjun, Satish, Janak, Bharat, and Amita Ban, all residents of Banaskantha district in Gujarat. One of the victims was reportedly a woman constable with the Gujarat Police.
According to Bathinda SP (City) Narinder Singh, the group was travelling from Bathinda towards Dabwali at the time of the accident. Preliminary investigation suggests that the victims had travelled from Gujarat to Shimla for a leisure trip and had halted in Bathinda overnight.
“Due to poor visibility caused by dense fog, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which resulted in the car hitting the divider,” SP Narinder Singh said, confirming the cause of the accident.
Locals at the spot informed the police that construction work was underway on the Bharat Mala road stretch. Traffic on one side of the highway had reportedly been blocked due to partition work, which may have contributed to the accident.
The Fortuner was completely mangled in the crash.