Three Killed as Lorry Ploughs into Pilgrim Bus on Rajasthan Highway

Three people have been killed and four others seriously injured after a speeding lorry rammed into a stationary bus carrying Hindu pilgrims on National Highway 48 in Rajasthan, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The collision occurred at around 5am near the village of Mahla, within the Mokhampura police station area on the Jaipur–Ajmer highway. The passengers — all devotees returning from the revered Sanwariya Seth temple in Chittorgarh — had been travelling back to Jaipur when the bus suffered a broken axle, forcing the driver to pull over to the side of the road.

Moments later, an out-of-control lorry travelling at speed struck the stricken bus from behind with considerable force. The impact was so severe that the rear of the vehicle was entirely crushed, leaving passengers — many of whom had been asleep — with no time to react.

Two passengers, identified as Madhuraj and Sawra, were killed at the scene. A third victim, named as Rahul, died whilst being transported to hospital. The four remaining injured were rushed by ambulance to a nearby sub-district hospital; one, whose condition was described as critical, was subsequently transferred to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur for specialist treatment.

Police from Mokhampura station, led by Station House Officer Suresh Gurjar, arrived swiftly at the scene alongside local bystanders and began rescue operations to free those trapped inside the wreckage. The bodies of the deceased have been placed in the hospital mortuary, and the families of the victims have been informed.

Officers have seized the lorry, and a manhunt is under way for its driver, who fled the scene following the crash.

The accident has renewed urgent questions about the dangers posed by reckless heavy-vehicle drivers on India's national highways, where fatigue and excessive speed remain persistent and deadly problems.