Bus was carrying labourers who were heading home for Diwali
Wrecked remains of the bus
Fifteen persons were killed and 40 others injured after an Uttar Pradesh-bound private bus, mostly carrying labourers going home for Diwali, rammed into a trailer-truck from behind in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Saturday. The accident occurred around 11.30 pm on Friday near Teonthar town, when the bus was going to Gorakhpur from Hyderabad, they said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The bus, a sleeper coach, was negotiating a mountain road in Sohagi ghati, about 60 km from the district headquarters, when it rammed into the trailer-truck on national highway-30, Rewa Superintendent of Police (SP) Navneet Bhasin said. The impact of the crash was so severe that the bodies of the bus driver and conductor had to be pulled out with the help of gas cutters, Bhasin said.
An injured survivor. Pics/PTI
Rewa district collector Manoj Pushp said 12 persons were killed on the spot, and two others succumbed while being taken to a hospital from Teonthar to Rewa. Later, one more person died at the hospital in Rewa, he said. While most of the injured persons were admitted to a hospital in Teonthar, those who suffered serious injuries were shifted to Rewa, the SP said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the bus accident. In a tweet, the PMO said, “The PM has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”One of the bus passengers, Subhash Choudhary, said he was going to his hometown Maharajganj in UP from Hyderabad to celebrate Diwali, but the accident left him shattered.
Also read: Mumbai: One million tonne of waste done, six to go at Mulund dumping ground
“I was fast asleep and celebrating Diwali in my dream. I woke up to a loud thud. In a second or two, cries like ‘God save me, God help me’ resonated in our bus,” he said, adding, “My dream soon turned into a nightmare. I was writhing in pain and there were several others like me. I saw helpless people in pools of blood inside the bus.” Choudhary suffered injuries on his hand and legs and is being treated in a hospital in Rewa.
NH30
the highway where the accident took place
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
