MP Private Bus Falls Into Canal: At least 48 dead

In a tragic bus accident in Sidhi of Madhya Pradesh, at least 48 passengers have died. A private bus from Sidhi to Satna fell off the bridge into a canal this morning with 54 passengers on board. The bus driver lost control of the vehicle and it fell in the canal at around 7 am.

40 people including two children have died in this tragic incident. The rescue operations were on until late evening and now are called off. Seven people have been rescued so far.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the rescue operation has completed and he expressed his condolences for the families of the dead. The CM postponed all the major events in the state capital and announced Rs 5 lakh assistance to the kin of each of the deceased.

A sum of Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia each to the kin of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 for the injured has been announced from the PM Relief fund.

As per the sources, the bus took an alternate route due to prolonged traffic hams on the Chhuiya Ghati hilly road connecting Sidhi and Satna districts. The bus has a capacity of 32-34 passengers and had around 50 passengers on board. Seven people swam to safety, five persons could be still missing in the canal.