Mohali: Three people were injured after a Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) bus allegedly suffered a steering failure and rammed into a Canter truck on the Zirakpur National Highway in Mohali on Sunday morning. The impact shattered the bus windows, and a young woman passenger fell out of a window onto the road, triggering panic at the accident site.

The collision also led to massive traffic congestion on the busy highway before rescue teams cleared the damaged vehicles and restored traffic movement.

Steering reportedly locked while descending flyover

According to the bus driver, the CTU bus had left Chandigarh for Haldwani, Uttarakhand, at around 8 a.m. and was carrying around seven to eight passengers.

As the bus approached the slip road after the flyover near Hotel Maryland on the Zirakpur National Highway, it allegedly lost electrical power and the steering wheel suddenly locked, causing the driver to lose control. The bus then crashed into a Canter truck travelling ahead.

The force of the collision shattered all the windows on one side of the bus and caused panic among passengers.

Woman suffers head injury after falling from bus

During the impact, a young woman seated behind the driver’s seat was thrown out of the bus through a shattered window. She sustained a head injury and was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh, along with the driver and another injured passenger.

The driver, Sukhvinder Singh, suffered a fractured arm. According to him, the woman underwent medical examination, and her X-ray reports were found to be normal. One of the injured passengers was discharged after receiving treatment.

Traffic disrupted; police begin investigation

The accident occurred amid rainfall, leading to long traffic queues on both sides of the highway.

After receiving information, the Road Safety Force and local police reached the spot. Using a crane, officials removed the damaged bus and truck, cleared the highway and restored normal traffic flow.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to determine the exact technical cause of the alleged steering failure.

Officials said a police team has also visited the hospital to collect statements from the injured and gather further details as part of the investigation.

The incident has once again raised concerns over the mechanical fitness and maintenance of public transport buses, especially those operating on long-distance routes.