Death toll mounts to 51 in MP bus mishap

Bhopal: The death toll in Tuesday’s bus mishap in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district has mounted to 51 with recovery of 5 more bodies, officials said on Wednesday. Three bodies were swept away and found downstream of the canal in the neighbouring district of Rewa, while the other body was recovered nearly 6 km from the site.

The death toll in Tuesday’s bus mishap in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district has mounted to 51 with recovery of 5 more bodies, officials said on Wednesday.

While body of a man was fished out of water in the canal where the bus fell down after skidding off the bridge, late on Tuesday night, 4 more bodies including those of a 6-month-old girl and her mother were recovered on Wednesday, Sidhi district collector Ravindra Kumar Choudhury said.

Three bodies were swept away and found downstream of the canal in the neighbouring district of Rewa, while the other body was recovered nearly 6 km from the accident site.

Rescue operations were still continuing to trace out some passengers who were feared drowned in the water-filled canal, reports reaching here last said.

Meanwhile, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the accident site on Wednesday and met the bereaved family members of the deceased.

Mr Chouhan said he deferred his plan to visit the site on Wednesday; a day after the tragedy took place, since his visit to the spot on Tuesday would have affected rescue operations.

Kin of the deceased however directed their anger towards him saying that the state government’s action of placing a few transport officials under suspension in connection with the incident was not enough.

They demanded to dismiss these officers from the service.