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Bus with workers going home for Diwali rams into truck in MP, 15 killed
The accident took place on National Highway-30 around 11.30 pm on Friday, when the sleeper bus, carrying 120 passengers in a 40-seater, was heading towards Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur from Hyderabad.
Fifteen people died and 40 others sustained injuries after a bus, mostly carrying labourers going home for Diwali, collided with a truck in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, police said on Saturday.
The accident took place on National Highway-30 around 11.30 pm on Friday, when the sleeper bus, carrying 120 passengers in a 40-seater, was heading towards Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur from Hyderabad.
According to the police,Navneet Bhasin, the bus was negotiating a mountain road in Sohagi ghati, about 70 km from the district headquarters, when the driver lost control and rammed into the trailer-truck from behind.
“A passerby informed the police about the accident, following which a joint team of administration and police carried out a rescue operation.The injured have been rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa, ” he said.
The impact of the crash was so severe that the bodies of the bus driver and conductor had to be pulled out from the mangled front portion of the vehicle with the help of gas cutters, he added.
Rewa district collector Manoj Pushp said 12 people were killed on the spot, and two others succumbed while being taken to a hospital from Teonthar to Rewa. Later, one more person died at the hospital in Rewa, he said.
The survivors said they used to work as labourers in Hyderabad and were returning home to celebrate Diwali.
“I was sleeping when I heard the thud sound. I woke up and saw a scene which was so horrifying that I fainted immediately. When I opened my eyes, I was in hospital,” said Manish Sakat (21), a resident of Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh.
“The bus was overloaded and on a sleeper seat for two, eight people were sitting. The hiring company had arranged the bus for labourers,” he added.
Another passenger, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “A few minutes before the accident, the bus was stopped by RTO officials because of overloading but after half-an-hour, they allowed the driver to go.”
Police said a case has been registered and investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of ₹ two lakh each for the families of people who died in the accident. The critically injured will be given ₹ 50,000 each.
His Madhya Pradesh counterpart, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, has also expressed anguish over the accident. Arrangements are being made by the Rewa district administration to send the bodies to their family members in Uttar Pradesh, the chief minister’s office said.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
“I am deeply saddened to hear the news of the death of many passengers due to the accident of a bus going to Gorakhpur from Hyderabad in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. My deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Murmu tweeted in Hindi.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO India) tweeted, “The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the tragic bus accident in Madhya Pradesh. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.”
SP Bhasin said a process has been initiated to send those who have sustained minor injuries in the accident to Uttar Pradesh and alternative travel arrangements are being made for them.
(With inputs from Harendra Pratap Singh of Rewa)
