20 injured as tractor-trolley carrying Kanwar pilgrims falls off bridge in MP’s Dhar

Dhar (Madhya Pradesh), Aug 24 (IANS) Around 20 devotees were injured, some of them critically, when a tractor-trolley carrying Kanwariyas fell off a bridge in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on Monday, police said.

The devotees were on their way to the Narmada River near Old Chikhalda to fetch water as part of the Kanwar Yatra on the fourth and final Monday of the holy Sawan month when the accident took place on a bridge around a kilometre from Kadmal village under the Nisarpur police outpost of Kukshi police station.

The tractor’s steering allegedly failed when the vehicle reached the bridge, causing the driver to lose control and leading to the tractor-trolley plunging off the bridge, police said.

On getting news of the crash, locals and police launched a rescue operation and shifted the injured to hospital after providing them first aid.

“Information was received about a tractor-trolley carrying devotees falling from the bridge. A police team immediately reached the spot and, with the help of local residents, rescued the injured and shifted them for treatment,” a police officer said.

Some devotees sustained serious injuries, while two of them, in a critical condition, were referred to Indore.

According to police, around 30 devotees were travelling in the tractor-trolley at the time of the accident.

Dr S.N. Patidar of the Barwani District Hospital told IANS that 20 injured people from Dhar had been admitted to the facility. “Six to seven patients are in critical condition. They have suffered injuries to their heads, waists, arms, and abdomens. Some of the seriously injured have been referred to Indore for advanced treatment,” he said.

Police said an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the accident and ascertain whether any other factor contributed to the accident.

–IANS

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