Eighteen Kanwariyas lost their lives and ten others were injured in a horrific road accident near Jamuniya village in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district on Tuesday. The accident happened during the Shravani Mela, a religious time when thousands of devotees travel to offer holy water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple.

The deadly crash took place in Mohanpur block, close to the Yamuna River and a well-known Shiva-Parvati temple. A bus carrying around 35 Kanwar pilgrims was heading towards Deoghar when it was hit head-on by a truck loaded with gas cylinders.

The impact of the collision was extremely severe. Eyewitnesses said the bus was badly damaged and the scene was horrifying, with people screaming and several devotees getting trapped inside the crushed vehicle. Emergency teams, including the police, ambulance services, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), quickly reached the site. They worked together to rescue the injured and remove the bodies from the wreckage. A crane was also used to help clear the damaged vehicles.

The injured were taken to nearby health centres and the Deoghar Sadar Hospital. Some of them are in critical condition. Officials are in the process of identifying the victims, and post-mortem examinations are being conducted.
Deoghar MP Nishikant Dubey confirmed the incident on social media and expressed grief over the loss of lives. Senior police and administrative officials visited the accident site and hospitals to monitor rescue and treatment efforts. Authorities have started an investigation to find out if driver negligence or any other reason led to the accident.