Balurghat, April 20: Seven persons died on the spot when the mini-bus they were travelling in fell into a roadside ditch in the Chengispur area of Balurghat this evening.

Police said six of the victims have been identified. They are Utpal Pahan, 18, Nirmal Pahan, 21, Biswajit Pahan, 13, Asim Pahan, 22, Chhoton Pahan, 22, and Ananta Kisku, 25.

More than 40 people, including children, were admitted to the district hospital late in the evening, the police said. The bus had 90 passengers, some of whom were travelling on the roof.

The victims were going to attend Rintu Pahan’s marriage with Shampa Pahan as the groom’s guests.

A mechanical failure or the driver’s negligence could be the reason for the mishap, the police said. The driver is missing.

Ranjit Kisku, one of the injured, said: “We had boarded the bus from Jabaripur and were going to Basantahar, about 40km away. About 90 of us were travelling either inside or on the roof.

“The groom was following us in a hired private car. Within ten minutes of setting off, the mini-bus, which was going at a great speed, skidded off and fell into the ditch at Amrail, 3km from Chengispur.” All the seven died on the spot, Ranjit said.

He said he had flung himself off the mini-bus which turned twice before rolling to a halt. “People were screaming. I managed to drag out a few passengers trapped inside the bus. Residents of the area then came to our rescue.”

The fire brigade station at Balurghat sent one engine to the accident spot, 19km away. The injured were brought to the district hospital by the fire brigade personnel.

One woman and two children, both below two years, were admitted in a critical condition, hospital sources said.

The district magistrate of South Dinajpur, Swapan Chatterjee, and the district police chief, Kalyan Kumar Mullick, visited the accident site.

The district police chief said an inquiry has begun to find out the cause of the accident.

The social welfare minister of Bengal, Biswanath Choudhury, who is the local MLA, visited the injured at the hospital late in the evening. “I have asked the hospital authorities to take all the necessary steps in treating the injured.” He later visited the accident site also.