UNB, New Delhi :
At least 13 people died after a commuter bus fell off a bridge into a river in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, police said.
More than 40 people, including a driver and a conductor, were on board the bus when it veered off the road and plunged into the Narmada river after breaching the railing of the bridge at Khalghat in Dhar district, some 260 kms from state capital Bhopal.
“The accident occurred when the driver lost control of the bus amid light showers. The government-owned bus was on its way to the neighbouring state of Maharashtra,” a police officer told the local media.
“Some 13 bodies have been fished out of the river, while we could manage to save 15 lives. The rescue operation is on,” he said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to Twitter to express grief over the loss of lives in the accident. “Instructions have been given to make arrangements for proper treatment of the injured,” he wrote.
“A probe has been ordered into the tragic accident,” the police officer said.
Road accidents are common in India, with one taking place every four minutes. These accidents are blamed on poor roads, rash driving and scant regard for traffic laws.
The Indian government’s implementation of stricter traffic laws in recent years has failed to rein in accidents, which claim over 100,000 lives every year.
