45 killed as bus plunges into canal in MP’s Sidhi

Sidhi/Rewa (MP), February 16

At least 45 persons, including 20 women, were killed when a bus skidded off the road and plunged into a canal in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on Tuesday morning.

The accident took place near Patna village, 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarters, when the ill-fated bus was on its way to Satna from Sidhi, a senior official said.

A search operation involving State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and the local authorities was still on at the site, the official said.

Rescuers have retrieved 45 bodies from the canal so far, said Rewa Divisional Commissioner Rajesh Jain. “A total of 45 bodies — 24 of men, 20 women and a child — have been recovered in the Bansagar canal until now,” he said, adding that a magisterial probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. — PTI