A passenger bus carrying over 50 people fell into a canal in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district on Tuesday morning killing 45. At least seven people were rescued from the canal. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, Rajesh Kumar Jain, Divisional Commissioner, Rewa, told news agency ANI.
"The rescue operation has completed. It is unfortunate that 45 dead bodies have been recovered," Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of those killed. "Bus accident in MP’s Sidhi is horrific. Condolences to the bereaved families. The local administration is actively involved in rescue and relief work," PM Modi said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also expressed anguish over the incident and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
Police said that the bus was enroute to Rewa from Sidhi when the mishap occurred. Reports suggest that the driver lost control over the vehicle and it fell into the Sharda canal under the Rampur police station area.
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