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12 killed after bus falls into river in Madhya Pradesh, PM announces ex gratia
According to police, the bus was on its way to Amalner in Jalgaon district when it crashed through the railing of a bridge and plunged into the river. Police suspect that the driver lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle on the bridge.
At least 12 people were killed on Monday after the bus they were travelling in fell into the Narmada river in Khalghat area, on the border of Khargone and Dhar districts, police said.
According to police, the bus was on its way to Amalner in Jalgaon district when it crashed through the railing of a bridge and plunged into the river. Police suspect that the driver lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle on the bridge.
State home minister Narottam Mishra said at least 15-20 people were travelling in the bus at the time of the accident, which took place about 300 km from Bhopal.
Khargone district superintendent of police, Dharam Veer Yadav, said, “As many as 12 people boarded the bus from Indore. A few people boarded on the way. In the absence of an eyewitness, it is hard to know the exact number of passengers.”
“The bus was said to have stopped at a hotel on the banks of Dudhi bypass, 12 km before Khalghat at around 9.15 am. The hotel owner informed police that 12-15 passengers had tea and breakfast at the hotel but a few people were sitting inside the bus,” he added.
Dhar superintendent of police, Aditya Pratap Singh, said, “It is being said that the bus driver lost control while overtaking another vehicle on the bridge in Khalghat. It fell 100 metres into Narmada river bank breaking the railing. The rescue operation is going on.”
Officials from Maharashtra State Regional Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said Chandrakant Eknath Patil (45) was driving the bus and Prakash Shravan Chaudhary (40) was the conductor. Both were from Amalner in Jalgaon and have died in the incident.
The other deceased from the state have been identified as Limbaji Ananda Khati, Avinash Sanjay Pardeshi, and Kalpana Gulabrao Patil all from Amalner in Jalagaon; Aarva Murtuja Bora from Murtijapur in Akola district; Vikas Satish Behre from Dhule.
Deceased from other states include Rukmini Narayanlal Joshi, Jagannath Hemraj Joshi, Chetan Ramgopal Jangid, Raju Tulsiram, all from Rajasthan, and Saifuddin Abbas Nurani from Indore in MP.
As many as 30 NDRF personnel, 70 SDRF personnel and 100 home guards and police personnel are involved in the rescue operation.
MSRTC managing director Shekhar Channe said:“We have sent teams from Maharashtra to Dhar to get more information and coordinate with MP authorities. We have also set up a helpline for those wanting any information about their near and dear ones.”
A forensic expert who examined the bus said the vehicle was badly damaged as it fell into the river at very high speed and the driver does not seem to have applied the brakes when he lost control.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he was in touch with Khargone and Dhar district administrations and ordered deployment of the state disaster response force (SDRF) personnel to search for missing passengers.
He announced financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims.
“Madhya Pradesh government is trying to make all possible arrangements to respectfully send the bodies to their hometowns,” the CM said, adding that he already spoken to his counterpart in Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, about the accident.
Shinde announced ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh ex gratia to the kin of the victims from Maharashtra. “I have spoken with Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan twice. Taking a serious cognisance of the incident, he has appointed a dedicated minister for coordination. The Maharashtra government has also declared ₹10 lakh each as financial help for the next of kin,” said Shinde.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, said, “I am in touch with Dhar (MP) Collector & Maharashtra ST officials and they are coordinating for rescue operations and medical aid and treatment to the injured passengers. I wish and pray for their speedy recovery.”
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted: “Deeply saddened due to loss of (lives) of many passengers in the bus accident in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I wish the injured people a speedy recovery.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an assistance of ₹2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot also expressed grief over the incident. “Deeply saddened to know that many lives have been lost when a bus fell into the Narmada river in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” he tweeted.
