Chhattisgarh: 13 killed, 53 injured as bus falls into dry rivulet

Raipur: At least 13 people were killed and 53 others injured when a bus fell off a small bridge into a dry rivulet in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district tonight, police said. The private luxury bus was on its way to the state capital Raipur from Gadhwa of the neighbouring Jharkhand state when the accident took place at Daldhowa ghat around 10:30 pm, about 400 km from here.

Around 5 kms away from Balrampur district headquarter, the bus driver suddenly spotted a motorcycle at a sharp curve at Daldhowa and while trying to save him, lost control over the steering following which the vehicle skidded into the dry rivulet and overturned two-three times, Balrampur Superintendent of Police Sadanand Kumar told PTI over phone.

Soon after getting news of the incident, a police team rushed to the spot and began rescue work, he said. "So far there are reports of 13 deaths while 16 critically injured were shifted to Ambikapur district hospital. Besides, 37 other injured have been admitted to local hospital at Balrampur," the SP added.

The identity of the victims, all of them male, was being ascertained, he added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Raman Singh has expressed grief over the incident. The CM has directed the district administration to provide best medical care to the injured and prayed for their speedy recovery, an official spokesperson here said.