Dec 28, Kathmandu- At least eight people were killed and more than two dozen injured on Friday when a passenger bus skidded off a bridge in the northern Indian state of Punjab.

The accident took place near Jeevan Singh Wala village in Bathinda district of Punjab. The bus was travelling at a high speed and fell into a drain after the driver lost control.

Immediately after the accident, local residents rushed to the scene to help the injured and informed the police. The police sent their teams and disaster management force personnel to the rescue operation.

“Eight people, including a two-year-old girl, have unfortunately died in today’s accident,” Shaukat Ahmed Pare, a senior government official in Bathinda, told the media. “Five people have been confirmed dead at Talbandi Hospital and three others at Civil Hospital Bathinda”.

A senior police officer from Bathinda, Amanit Kondal, said 46 passengers were rescued from the accident site. The police have registered a case and ordered an investigation into the accident.