A Maharashtra Roadways bus carrying 13 people, travelling from Indore to Pune, fell off the Khalghat Sanjay Setu into the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, 18 July, claiming the lives of all passengers.
"The current detail coming in from the spot is that there were a total of 13-14 passengers in the bus, no one survived," said Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said.
Commenting on earlier reports which mentioned the presence of over 40 passengers on board, Mishra said, "Those who were bathing in the river fled when the bus fell into the water and they were considered to be rescued."
The bus broke the railing of a bridge on the National Highway No 3 (Agra-Mumbai road), situated close to the Dhar and Khargone borders, and then fell into the river, an official said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the government was closely monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Dr Pawan Kumar Sharma instructed the collectors from both Dhar and Khargone districts to arrive at the spot. Khargone Collector Kumar Purushottam and SP Dharamvir Singh also departed to reach the spot.
The bus departed from Indore in Madhya Pradesh at around 7.30 am and was on its way to Amalner in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra when it met with the accident on a bridge over the river between Khalghat and Thigari in Madhya Pradesh, according to MSRTC's public relations department.
A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) also arrived at the scene to carry out rescue operations.
‘Bus Tragedy in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh Is Saddening’: Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and called the tragedy "saddening."
The Prime Minister's Office also tweeted, "My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. Rescue work is underway and local authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected."
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also tweeted and said, "Pained to know about the loss of lives in Maharashtra ST bus (Indore to Amalner) accident at Dhar, MP as it fell into a river from a bridge."
"I am in touch with Dhar (MP) Collector & Maharashtra ST officials & they are coordinating for rescue operations & medical aid and treatment to the injured passengers," Fadnavis added.
Fitness Certificate and Pollution Under Control
RTO officials said that the bus which was more than 10 years old and its fitness certificate was about to expire in about 10 days.
The bus was registered with the Nagpur rural Regional Transport Office on June 12, 2012 and its certificate, which implies that the vehicle is roadworthy, was about to expire on July 27, 2022, a senior RTO official said.
Its Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate and insurance were valid, he said.
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