Bathinda (Punjab) : Two drivers were killed and half a dozen players were seriously injured when a bus carrying the Indian women Kabaddi team in the ongoing World Cup caught fire Thursday after colliding with an army truck near here, police said.
Police said the victims included the driver of the bus and the driver of a Punjab Police van piloting the team bus.
Five to six members of the women team were in critical condition after receiving injuries in the accident which occurred on the outskirts of this town. Passers-by pulled out the team members from the burning bus.
The bus driver got trapped in his seat and was burnt to death. The army truck also caught fire after the accident.
Witnesses told police that the truck and the police van first collided. The truck then hit the team bus. Both vehicles caught fire immediately.
The women players who had been practising in Bathinda were going to Badal village, 40 km from here, for a dinner with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The second Kabaddi World Cup is being played at various places across Punjab. The women’s event is being held for the first time with teams from India, Turkmenistan, the US and Britain participating.
IANS
