Deoghar (Jharkhand) [India], July 29 (ANI): Five Kanwariyas died, and at least 23 others were injured after a private bus carrying pilgrims lost control and collided with a truck in Jharkhand's Deoghar district early on Tuesday, officials said.

The pilgrims were travelling from Deoghar to the Basukinath temple when the accident took place.

Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Sadar Ravi Kumar told ANI, 'The information about the accident was received at 4-5 am... A private bus, carrying pilgrims from Deoghar to visit Basukinath, lost control and collided with a truck. Furthermore, the bus lost its balance and collided with a brick stack... The driver died on the spot, and the deaths of four more people have been confirmed... The bodies were brought to Sadar Hospital. Five deaths have been confirmed, and 23 injured are under treatment...'

Inspector General (IG) of Dumka Zone, Shailendra Kumar Sinha, said, 'A bus coming from Mohanpur carried Kanwariyas. It collided with a truck transporting gas cylinders. 5 Kanwariyas have died in the incident. All the injured people have been taken to the District Hospital Deoghar for better treatment...'

Santhal Pargana Zonal IG S K Sinha also confirmed the incident. 'Five Kanwariyas have died in a road accident as their bus collided with a truck. Several others are injured. More details are awaited,' he told ANI.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) expressed grief over the tragedy. In a post on X, the PMO stated, 'The road accident that occurred in Deoghar, Jharkhand, is extremely tragic. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives in this incident. May God grant them the strength to bear this pain. Along with this, I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured.'

An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.

The incident occurred during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, which began on July 10. As part of this annual pilgrimage, devotees of Lord Shiva, known as Kanwariyas, carry holy water from rivers over long distances to offer it at Shiva temples.

The month of 'Sawan' is considered highly sacred in Hindu tradition. Devotees observe fasts and offer prayers to seek Lord Shiva's blessings. Rituals such as chanting mantras, singing devotional songs, and performing Rudrabhishek are commonly observed during this period.

This year, the Sawan month started on July 11 and will end on August 9. (ANI)