47 killed as bus falls into 20-ft canal in MP

While seven passengers were rescued, the driver and at least five others were missing till the time of going to press.

At least 47 passengers were killed after an overcrowded and overspeeding bus run by a private agency plunged into a 20-foot-deep canal in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on Tuesday, officials said.

NDRF team carries out a rescue operation after an overcrowded bus plunged into a canal in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. (PTI)

Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver of the 32-seater bus, which was carrying around 60 people, had taken a short-cut and was driving at a high speed, police said.

While seven passengers were rescued, the driver and at least five others were missing till the time of going to press.

Of the 47 deceased, 24 are men, 21 women and two children, Umesh Joga, inspector general of police, Rewa, said.

Half of the victims were between 20 and 30 years and headed for Satna and Rewa for a government recruitment exam, Joga said. It took rescuers about three hours to locate the bus, which fell into the Bansagar Canal, due to heavy water flow, he said.

Thirty-seven bodies were found trapped in the bus, while 10 were fished out of the canal, he added. The survivors were admitted to a hospital in Rewa, where their condition is said to be stable.

The accident took place in Piprav village of the district while the bus was on its way from Sidhi to Satna.

“…it was found that the driver took a short route as there was a traffic jam on the regular road...The job aspirants, who were in the bus, were requesting the driver to increase the speed as they were getting late for the exam. The driver lost control and the bus plunged into a canal,” Pankaj Kumawat, SP, Sidhi, said.

“A 17-year-old girl, Shivrani Loniya, and her brother, Ramprasad, who live near the canal, helped at least seven people come out of water. Loniya informed the others that a bus has fallen into the canal.”

The bus was running at a very high speed when the driver lost the control, Loniya told reporters at the accident site. “…we jumped into the canal to save the passengers, but could save only seven people who managed to come out of the bus,” she said.

Watch: Madhya Pradesh bus accident: Over 45 dead, PM Modi announces ex-gratia

Rewa divisional commissioner Rajesh Jain said the bus, owned by a private travel agency, had “about five dozen people” on board.

“The permit of the bus has been cancelled. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the matter,” he said. Transport minister Govind Singh Rajput announced a separate inquiry into the accident.

PM Narendra Modi extended condolences to the affected families. “PM @narendramodi has approved an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from PM’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the bus accident in Sidhi. ₹50,000 would be given to those seriously injured,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.