Three passengers, including the driver, died and at least 30 others were injured after a private bus overturned and fell into a roadside ditch while trying to overtake another bus at a high speed to get more passengers in Hooghly’s Goghat on Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as driver Panchanan Dolui, 45, Rehana Khatun, 14 and Anup Roy, 28. They were declared brought dead at Arambagh sub-divisional hospital. Doctors said three persons, including a woman, were shifted to Calcutta as their condition was critical.

“The private bus from Burdwan was heading to Panskura in West Midnapore via Arambagh. The bus was chasing another bus of the same route at a high speed to get more passengers. As the driver suddenly spotted a speed break and tried to slow down, he lost control of the vehicle and it overturned,” said a police officer.

Sources said when the bus reached Arambagh-Ghatal road, the driver found a bus of the same route ahead of it.

“The other bus was picking up passengers and when the driver of our vehicle saw it, he stepped on the accelerator. He tried to overtake the other bus at a high speed and ran into a speed breaker. In his effort to slow down before the bus hit the speed breaker, he slammed the brake and the vehicle overturned. The bus fell into a roadside ditch,” said Rohan Thandar, a student who survived the accident and was rescued by villagers.

Police said it had become a practice of most drivers of private buses to chase other vehicles to get more passengers. “We regularly campaign to stop this practice of drivers but it seems the awareness drives hardly impact them,” said an officer.