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Toll in bus accident in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi rises to 50
Rewa Divisional Commissioner Rajesh Jain, under whose jurisdiction the accident took place, said a magisterial probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
The toll in the bus accident in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi reached 50 on Wednesday, according to district magistrate Ravindra Kumar Choudhary.
The accident took place on Tuesday morning when the packed private bus plunged into a water-filled canal.
The bus was on its way to Satna from Sidhi; the accident took place near Patna village, around 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarters.
“In the preliminary investigation, it was found that the driver took a short route as there was a traffic jam on the regular road near a Chhuiha Valley and 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 the control of the bus and it plunged into a canal,” said Pankaj Kumawat, superintendent of police, Sidhi.
The rescue operation is being carried out by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and local authorities.
Rewa Divisional Commissioner Rajesh Jain, under whose jurisdiction the accident took place, said a magisterial probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the 'horrific' bus accident and approved an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the tragedy and announced a separate ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
Eyewitnesses said the bus completely immersed in the canal water and was not visible in the morning hours.
Later, the district administration stopped the release of water into the canal from the Bansagar project, which brought the water level down, they said.
The survivors have been admitted to a hospital in Rewa where their conditions are stated to be stable. The driver of the bus Balendyu Vishwakarma is missing after the incident, police said.
(With inputs from agencies)
