Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief at the "horrific" bus accident in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district and approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.

At least 18 people, including seven women, died while 20 others went missing after a bus fell off a bridge into a canal near Patna village in Sidhi district on Tuesday morning, police said.