Bokaro, May 8: Twelve persons were injured, six of them seriously, when a bus carrying more than 40 passengers of a marriage party fell into Jamunia river near Damoda under Dugda police station of Bokaro district today.

Later the injured persons were rushed to Bharat Coking Coal Limited hospital at Dumra.

The accident took place at around 1 pm when the ill-fated bus of Jairam Travels (BPW 9199) was returning from Tetulmari in Dhanbad to Central Colony Makoli in Bokaro, the police said.

As the driver of the bus tried to negotiate a sharp turn just before the bridge near Damoda, he lost control over the vehicle as the brakes failed. The vehicle then skidded and fell into the river, police sources said.

Soon after, the local people, hearing the scream of the passengers, rushed to the spot and pulled out most of the passengers from the river before the police reached the spot.

Later police with the help of the local people rushed all the injured to the BCCL hospital at Dumra where the condition of six of them, including the driver, is said to be critical.

Talking to The Telegraph, the officer-in-charge of Dugda police station, Amod Narain Singh, said that the bus fell into the river as the brakes failed.

However, an FIR has been lodged at Dugda police station against the driver on charges of negligent driving, the police said.