Ranchi, July 29 : Eighteen Kanwariyas lost their lives and ten others were injured in a devastating road accident near Jamuniya village in Jharkhand's Deoghar district on Tuesday.

The incident occurred during the ongoing Shravani Mela, a time when thousands of devotees travel to offer sacred water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple.

Confirming the tragedy, Deoghar MP Nishikant Dubey said in a post on X, "In my Lok Sabha constituency of Deoghar, during the Kanwar Yatra in the month of Shravan, 18 devotees lost their lives due to a bus and truck accident. May Baba Baidyanath Ji grant strength to their families to bear this grief."

The accident site, located in Mohanpur block of Deoghar, lies along the banks of the north-flowing Jamuniya River, near a renowned Shiva-Parvati temple.

The collision occurred when a bus carrying about 35 devotees en route to Deoghar for offering 'jal' (holy water) at Baba Baidyanath Dham was struck head-on by a truck transporting gas cylinders.

Eyewitnesses described the scene as horrifying. The impact was so intense that the bus was reportedly torn apart, with screams echoing in the aftermath.

Several devotees were trapped inside the mangled remains of the vehicle, prompting an immediate response from the police, ambulance services, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who worked together to extract the injured and retrieve the bodies.

The injured were rushed to nearby primary health centres and Deoghar Sadar Hospital. Authorities stated that the condition of some was critical. The identities of the deceased are currently being verified, and the bodies are being sent for post-mortem examinations.

Top district officials, including members of the police and civil administration, arrived at the site and later visited the hospitals to oversee rescue and medical efforts.

A crane was deployed at the scene to manage the wreckage, and preliminary investigations have begun, with a focus on whether negligence on the part of the drivers played a role in the accident.

/IANS