Highlights
- A top official said the bus was fitted with a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS)
- An inquiry has been ordered to find out what happened at the time of the accident
- All public transport buses, including MSRTC, are locked at the maximum speed of 80 kmph
MP bus accident: The Maharashtra state transport bus that fell off a bridge into the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh on Monday was travelling at 45 kmph and not over-speeding, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) officials said. They said a probe was ordered to find out the exact circumstances leading to the accident in view of the initial findings that suggested the bus was not speeding.
A top official said the bus was fitted with a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS).
As per the records retrieved from the system, the bus was travelling at 45 kilometres per hour (kmph) when it plunged into the river at 9.47 AM.
"It means the bus wasn't overspending," said the official.
He said an inquiry has been ordered to find out what happened at the time of the accident as the bus broke the railings of the bridge from the driver's side before going down.
At least 13 passengers were killed after the bus fell off the bridge between Khalghat and Thigari in the Dhar district, a few hours after it left for Amalner in Maharashtra from Indore.
All the public transport buses, including those operated by MSRTC, are locked at the maximum speed of 80 kmph through a device known as the "speed governor".
Another senior official said media reports stating 40-50 passengers travelling on the bus were wrong.
The MSRTC officials pointed out that all the doors of the bus were locked when it was pulled out from the riverbed with the help of a crane.
This implies there is less likelihood that anyone might have washed away in the river.
Also, the ticketing machine records indicate the same.
"Throughout the day, no one has come forward saying that their relative was on board the bus and has been missing. Neither we received any complaint on the helpline, nor anyone contacted the local administration at the spot," he said, adding that the relatives of all the accident victims have come forward.
Another MSRTC official said that the bus had 10 passengers besides the driver and the conductor.
He said the local administration has stopped the search and rescue operation at the spot.
The bus was operated by the Amalner depot in the Jalgaon district on the Indore-Amalner route.
Dharmapuri is a few kilometres away from the Narmada river bridge near Khalghat.
(With inputs from PTI)
