Two persons died and 26 were injured, ten of them seriously, after a religious procession going to Laddowal met with an accident near the Sutlej toll-tax barrier in Laddowal.

The overloaded mini truck in which a group of 28 devotees was travelling overturned while negotiating a turn.

The ill-fated journey of the procession had started from Sherpur around 3.30 pm and was headed for Sutlej river banks in Laddowal to immerse the idols of Saraswati. The deceased have been identified as Sanjay and Rajdev, both of them in their early twenties.

The group of devotees who hailed from Sherpur market area had boarded a Tata-407 at Sherpur and were on their way to Laddowal to immerse the idol of Goddess Saraswati in the waters of the Sutlej river.

The accident victims were immediately rushed to the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) where two of them succumbed to injuries. The doctors at CMCH said ten of the accident victims were serious and were undergoing treatment.

The senior police and district administration officers including SP Harish Kumar, DSP Paramjit Singh Pannu and DSP-I Jaswinder Singh also rushed to CMCH to take stock of the situation.

The victims said the speeding vehicle was negotiating the curve and somersaulted. "All the passengers were pushed to one side of the vehicle and it eventually overturned," said Satinder Singh, SHO of Laddowal police station, who was present at the spot. He said the injured were still being identified while confirming the death of two passengers.

Two drown in Sutlej
In another incident, two youth were drowned in the Sutlej river on Sunday evening while they were taking part in the Saraswati Puja celebrations on the banks of the river.

The deceased identified as Kapil (22) and Nanhe (20) had reportedly drifted into the deep waters of the river while taking bath.