Five Killed in Tragic Head-On Collision on Krishnanagar-Karimpur Highway

Karimpur, May 20: A devastating road accident early Tuesday morning claimed the lives of five individuals, including three women, when a Maruti van collided head-on with a bus near Kanthalia Math in Mahishbathan. The crash occurred on the Krishnanagar-Karimpur state highway.

The victims were traveling in the Maruti van from Karimpur to Krishnanagar railway station. The bus, named ‘Joy Ride’, was en route to New Digha for a tour, having picked up tourists from Nazirpur shortly before the accident.

Police and local sources indicate the collision happened around 6:30 AM. The speeding Maruti van reportedly swerved into the oncoming lane to overtake a lorry, crashing directly into the fast-approaching bus. Eyewitnesses described the impact as sudden and forceful, giving the bus driver no time to react. The van was propelled backward, coming to rest jammed against a large tree.

“The van was probably trying to overtake a lorry at high speed and ended up in the path of the bus,” recounted a local resident who witnessed the crash. “The bus was moving fast too, and the collision was unavoidable.”

All five occupants of the van died instantly due to the severe impact, which completely mangled the vehicle. Locals, aided by police, rushed the victims to Karimpur Rural Hospital. However, given the extent of their injuries, they were quickly transferred to Tehatta Sub-divisional Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead. The Krishnanagar Police District confirmed the fatalities.

The deceased have been identified as Sanjoy Sarkar, a school teacher, and his mother Anima Sarkar, both residents of Goas in Karimpur. The other victims were van driver Suman Sk, Mamata Sarkar, and Sulekha Sarkar, both from Raninagar in Sagarpara, Murshidabad.

Sources suggest the Maruti van regularly transported passengers from Jalangi to Krishnanagar railway station, offering an alternative to busier bus routes. “It appears that the driver of the van was speeding, possibly being chased by another bus from behind to maintain a time-bound service. But it all ended in disaster,” said a local resident of Kanthalia Math.

The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. The bus driver fled the scene and remains at large. “Five people died in the collision between the bus and the Maruti van. The condition of one person is critical. The cause of the accident is being investigated,” stated Subhatosh Sarkar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Tehatta.