Bhopal: At least 25 people, including women and children, were killed and about 20 others injured when a bus fell off a bridge 50 metres down into the rocky dry bed of a river in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh Tuesday morning.
According to police, the mishap occurred at around 8.30 am when the private passenger bus (MP 10 P 7755) of the Maa Sharda Travels Company was ferrying around 45 passengers from Shrikhandi village in the Khargone district to Indore city.
When the speeding bus was negotiating a bridge on River Borad located between Dasanga and Dongargaon, the driver lost control of the heavy vehicle. Consequently, the bus broke the railing of the bridge and plunged 50 metres down into the river. Due to the steep fall, the body of the bus crumpled.
More than half the passengers of the bus, along with the driver, conductor and helper were killed after sustaining fatal injuries from the mangled iron body of the bus and due to the impact of the vertical fall.
Initially, the villagers from nearby villages rushed to the rescue of the passengers and after some time ambulances and medical help reached the spot followed by the police and district administration authorities.
Khargone Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharamveer Singh Yadav said 11 seriously injured passengers were rushed to Indore for treatment while the bodies of the deceased were sent for postmortem.
The SP confirmed that 22 people had died in the mishap.
Sources said three more had succumbed later, taking the death toll to 25.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
President Draupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other leaders expressed grief at the incident. CM Chouhan announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased. He also announced Rs 50,000 compensation to each of the injured.
A sum of Rs 2 lakh each has also been announced from the PM Relief Fund for the families of the deceased passengers and Rs 50,000 to every injured person.
Agencies

KR Desk