Bathinda: Eight students, waiting by the side to catch a bus after their vehicle met with an accident, were among nine mowed down by a speeding truck near Chetak Park on Bathinda-Chandigarh road today, police said.

A lady teacher was also killed in a bus-minibus collision, they said. The eight students and a female government employee were initially travelling in a state transport bus. However, the bus was involved in an accident with a mini bus.

A teacher, Mandeep Kaur, who was travelling with the students, was killed in the collision between the bus and the minibus. Fourteen others were injured in the accident which occurred due to low visibility, police said.

Shaken by the accident, the students alighted from the bus and were waiting by the roadside to catch another vehicle. "The students and the employee had got down from the state transport bus and were waiting to catch another bus," Bathinda, SSP, Naveen Singla said.

However, a speeding truck hit an SUV on the road and then veered towards the group of students, killing them as well as the government employee, the official said.

The deceased were identified as Rafi Mohammad (20), Shikha (17), Khushvir Kaur (20), students of Rajindra college; Vinod Kumar Mittal (18), Jaspreet Kaur (18), Nancy (19), students of DAV college; Manpreet Kaur (17) and Ishwar (18), who were taking coaching for IELTS test, police said.

The deceased government employee was identified as 24- year-old Lovepreet Kaur. The truck driver fled from the scene leaving behind the vehicle, the SSP said adding that efforts were being made to nab him.

The injured were admitted to local hospitals, police said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for injures, Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Diprava Lakra said.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal also met the injured in the hospital, officials said.