JAISALMER: A group of Amarnath pilgrims from Rajasthan’s Balotra district met with a devastating road accident in Punjab on Wednesday morning.Four pilgrims were killed on the spot, while eight others sustained serious injuries after their tempo traveller crashed into a stationary trailer on the Bathinda–Bikaner National Highway.According to preliminary information, 12 pilgrims from Balotra were travelling in a tempo traveller to the Amarnath shrine. At around 6 a.m., the vehicle collided from behind with a trailer parked on the roadside between Dabha Jor village, Jodhpur Romana and Gurusar Sane Wala on the Bathinda–Dabwali National Highway.The impact was so severe that the front portion of the tempo traveller was completely crushed, with the vehicle compressed by nearly three to four feet. Several passengers became trapped inside the wreckage as cries for help filled the scene.Upon receiving information about the accident, teams from Sangat Police Station and the social service organisation Sahara Jan Seva rushed to the spot. With the help of local residents, the injured passengers were rescued and shifted to the Civil Hospital in Bathinda. Some critically injured victims were later referred to AIIMS Bathinda for advanced treatment.SHO Jagdeep Singh of Sangat Police Station said that an investigation has been initiated. Preliminary findings indicate that the tempo traveller rammed into a truck parked on the roadside. However, the exact cause of the accident will be confirmed only after the investigation is completed.The bodies of the deceased have been sent to the government hospital mortuary in Bathinda for post-mortem examination.Initial reports suggest that all the deceased and injured pilgrims are residents of the Balotra region of Rajasthan. News of the tragedy has plunged their families and the local community into mourning.Dr. Lovdeep Singh, Emergency Medical Officer at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, said that three of the victims were declared dead at the Civil Hospital, while another victim, who had been referred to AIIMS Bathinda, also succumbed to injuries. All injured passengers are currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bathinda.
