A tragic road accident in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district claimed the lives of at least nine Kanwariyas early Tuesday morning, while several others sustained serious injuries.

The mishap occurred around 4:30 am near Jamuniya forest under Mohanpur police station limits. A 32-seater bus carrying Kanwariyas on their religious pilgrimage collided with a truck transporting gas cylinders.

According to Inspector General (Dumka Zone) Shailendra Kumar Sinha, initially five deaths were reported, but later, Traffic DSP Laxman Prasad confirmed that the death toll had risen to nine.

Many of the injured are in critical condition. The district administration has been alerted, and rescue operations are underway. The injured are being shifted to nearby hospitals and health centres for treatment.