Nongpoh, Sep 25: A motorcyclist died in a head-on collision with an inter-state bus in Ri-Bhoi on Wednesday night. The bus did not come away unscathed, as it caught fire and was completely gutted. There were no casualties among the passengers, however.
The accident saw the bike (ML 05Y 3698) crash into the Assam-registered bus (AS 01GC 3288) at around 10:30pm on National Highway 6 in Nongpoh. The bus was on its way from Guwahati to Silchar.
The deceased motorcyclist, Barista Mylliemngap (29) was a resident of Umsawkhwan in Ri-Bhoi. He died on the spot as a result of his injuries. Eyewitnesses said that he was driving on the wrong side of the road, which resulted in the fatal collision.
The bus immediately caught fire on impact with the bike. The 50 or so passengers managed to escape the inferno thanks to the swift response of Nongpoh police and fire tenders, who rushed to the spot and brought the flames under control after several hours of effort. The passengers’ belongings and other items inside the bus, however, were reduced to ashes.
The body of the deceased was later taken to Nongpoh Civil Hospital for necessary formalities.
