A sleeper bus overturned near Hanuman Mandir in the central Delhi's Karol Bagh area in the early hours of Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
A Delhi-bound sleeper bus overturned in Karol Bagh in the early hours of Wednesday, leading to the deaths of two passengers and injuring 23 others, including the bus driver, the police said.The police identified the deceased as Shehbaj Alam, 30, and Mahesh, 22, both originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Pankaj Kumar, the bus driver, has been detained and an FIR was registered against him at Karol Bagh police station under Sections 281 (rash or negligent driving), 125 (a) (rash or negligent act endangering human life) and 106 (1)(death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.The cause of the accident has yet to be ascertained, as the bus driver, who is undergoing treatment at RML Hospital, has not been interrogated, the police said.According to the police, they received a PCR call at around 1.05 a.m., with the caller reporting an accident and stating that several people were injured.Upon reaching the spot, the Karol Bagh SHO, picket and the night patrolling teams found a tourist bus, travelling from Jaipur to Delhi, overturned with as many as 30 passengers stuck inside. The bus was lifted with the help of a JCB and teams from the police department and fire services rescued the passengers.“Around 10 critically injured passengers were initially rescued and rushed to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and 12 others were shifted to RML Hospital,” a senior police official said.“We put our disaster management SOP in action immediately as we received the call at 1.10 a.m. 15 people were brought to the emergency department at 2.00 p.m. While two of these were brought dead, others were injured. The dead bodies of the deceased were sent to the mortuary. Three female and 10 male passengers were among the injured who were assessed to be in semi-critical condition,” an official statement from the RML Hospital read.As per the police, a swift response saved the lives of several passengers. “The prompt and coordinated response of the picket and night patrolling staff, along with effective public assistance, played a crucial role in saving multiple lives,” said Rohit Rajbir Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central district).The police and the hospitals are in the process of collecting their details and updates on their conditions. “No persons are in serious condition. Further investigation into the matter is under way,” the police said. Published - March 26, 2026 12:29 am IST
