Twenty five people were killed and more than 25 others injured after a private bus fell from a bridge on a dry river bed in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district on Tuesday morning, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said.
A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident which took place at 8.40 am, Mishra told reporters.
The bus broke railings of Dasanga bridge and fell on a dry bed of the Borad river near Dongargaon village, Mishra said.
The vehicle was carrying around 50 passengers when it met with the accident, a police official said. The injured persons were admitted to the district hospital in Khargone.Overloaded with passengers and being driven recklessly at a high speed – it was a disaster waiting to happen. After travelling for some distance, the speeding bus plunged straight into a dry river bed after breaking through railings of a bridge, killing 25 passengers and injuring more than 25 others.
Speeding and overloading caused the tragedy, eyewitnesses and state Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel said.
Patel, who is also in-charge of Khargone district, told reporters, “I spoke to the injured passengers, who said the bus was over speeding. Secondly, more than 67 passengers were travelling in the bus which had capacity to accommodate only 37 persons. This showed carelessness of the driver and also RTO authorities.” The driver was among the deceased.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident. “The road accident in Khargone is very saddening. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this accident. Also, I wish speedy recovery to all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is providing all possible help on the spot,” Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the bus accident in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” he said.