MP bus accident: Death toll mounts to 39; rescue operation underway

At least 39 people have died and seven have been rescued after a bus fell off a bridge into a canal near Patna village in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district on Tuesday. The bus was going from Sidhi to Satna, carrying around 57 passengers. It fell into the canal after the driver lost control over it.

Umesh Joga, Inspector General (Rewa zone) told the media that a total of 18 bodies have been fished out of the Bansagar canal until now.

According to news agency PTI,  the bus sank completely into the water and was not visible in the morning hours. Later, the district administration stopped the release of water into the canal from the Banganga project, which brought the water level down.

After that, the bus was spotted at some distance away. The bus was retrieved out of the canal with the help of two cranes.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief and prayed for the safety of the missing passengers.

He informed that teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local authorities were conducting rescue operations at the spot.

Meanwhile, in view of the accident, the CM has cancelled the 'grih pravesh' or house-warming ceremony to be attended virtually by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Shah was scheduled to take part in this programme, scheduled to be held at 11 AM Minto Hall in Bhopal, for the beneficiaries of over one lakh houses constructed in Madhya Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath has also expressed grief over the bus tragedy.recovered till now from the site in Sidhi where a bus, carrying around 54 passengers, fell into a canal today. 7 people were rescued. A search operation is underway.