Raipur:
Five people including a woman, two minor girls were killed and 18 others injured when an Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) collided head-on with a bus, both vehicles carrying marriage parties, in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday.
The mishap took place near Pendrikala village, Additional Superintendent of Police Shashimohan Singh said that driver of the bus was drunk and was arrested by the police subsequently.
The private bus was carrying 35 people whoa attended a marriage. It was returning to Vikrampur from Kopedih when it collided with another SUV, which was ferrying another marriage party, including the bride and the groom, to Bhedikala from Dharadih.
Four people in the SUV including the driver were killed on the spot while another succumbed at hospital, Mr Singh said.
The deceased were identified as Sangeeta (15), Sapna (12), Duliya Bai (65), Ramkisun (45) and the driver Balchand Dewangan (28).
Police rushed the injured, including the bride Pushpa Yadav and the groom Rakesh Yadav, to a local hospital. Three of them were shifted to Rajnandgaon district hospital for further treatment.