Thirty-three-year-old Chote Mandal was working as a mason at a construction site inSaksohra under Barh subdivision, around 70km east of Patna.
A resident of Jhajha in Jamui, Mandal had got on a 25-seater bus along with four of his companions. He wanted to reach his hometown to spend Makar Sankranti with his family.
As the bus turned turtle near Rasbag village under Belchi police station near Barh in Patna on Wednesday, Chote was among the five people killed. Over a dozen sustained injuries after the overloaded vehicle, carrying more than 50 people met with the fatal accident.
The incident occurred around 10am, the police said, adding that at least two persons, a 60-year-old lady being one among them, were seriously injured. They were taken to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). Local residents vented their fury by torching the vehicle.
The whereabouts of one of the dead has not been ascertained, the police said.
"The bus started from Saksohra bus stand at around 9.30am for Barh railway station, a distance of 13km. As it was passing through Rasbag Village, it tried to give way to a tractor coming from the opposite side. The road being narrow with steep sides, the driver lost control and all passengerssitting on the roof of the bus fell off. The bus overturned and fell on the passengers who were on the ground, resulting in the death of five on spot. The residents of the village rushed in for rescue and put the bus on fire after pulling out all the passengers from inside it. They blocked the road afterwards," assistant superintendent of police, Manoj Tiwary, told The Telegraph.
Other than Chote Mandal, Barh resident Dheeraj Kumar, Nalanda resident Vilas Yadav and Dharmendra Kumar of Gazipur Village in Barh lost their lives. One of the deceased, around 45 years of age, has not been identified yet.
Govind Mandal, presently admitted at Barh sub-divisional hospital and a close friend of Chote Mandal, said they did not expect such a mishap.
"Four of us had come from Jhajha for a construction work at Govindpur village in Saksohra, two months back. All of us were excited as we were going home for Makar Sankranti with all the money we had earned. We had to catch the train to Jhajha from the Barh railway station. Chote has two sons and a daughter. What are we going to tell them?" he said.
Fifty-five-year-old Vilas Yadav was a daily wage earner and was on his way back home in Rajopur Saidpur village. He was taking back curd, beaten rice ( chura) and tilkuts for his family.
"It is very sad. More so because most of the passengers were on their way home for Makar Sankranti. Vilas has six daughters and three sons," said another officer.
Govind Mandal, Balmukund Mandal, Ashok Mandal, Sachin Mandal, Sakuni Devi and Tuntun Singh were among the ones injured. Sakuni Devi and Ashok Mandal were referred to PMCH, the cops said.
The police are yet to ascertain the owner of the bus.
Residents blocked the road after putting the bus on fire. They protested against rash driving that most vehicles resort to on the road.
"The road block continued until the afternoon and the police were able to calm the irate mob later and clear the road of casualties. The driver of the bus is also injured but we know nothing of his identity yet. Some work is yet to be done and the police are completing the formalities at the moment. We will take action against the bus owner and an FIR will be lodged," Patna superintendent of police (rural) (SP) Lallan Mohan Prasad told The Telegraph.
The officer added that the local villagers helped a lot.
"The number of casualties could have increased had it not been for the timely help by the villagers. Many people were stifled under its weight. The road is very narrow and it just flipped when it could not control its speed. Action is being initiated on all fronts," the SP said.
The chief minister has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the dead. The government will take care of the treatment of those injured.
