The toll in the bus accident that took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district rose to 51 on Wednesday as the rescuers recovered four more bodies, including that of a six-month-old baby, PTI reported.
Ashok Pandey, the in charge of the police station under whose jurisdiction the accident spot falls, told the news agency that three bodies were swept away and were found in a canal in the neighbouring Rewa district. The fourth body was found six kilometres from the accident site.
The police have arrested the driver of the bus. Sidhi Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kumawat said he was charged under Section 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, The Times of India reported.
The bus had fallen off a bridge into a canal on Tuesday near Patna village, around 80 kilometres from the Sidhi district headquarters. It was travelling from Sidhi to Satna when the driver lost control of the it.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met the families of the people who died in the accident and handed over the compensation that his government had announced for them.
Meanwhile, the police said that a 17-year-old girl named Shivani Lonia jumped into the canal and saved the lives of at least seven passengers, Hindustan Times reported. The Madhya Pradesh chief minister and district officials praised her for her bravery.
A massive rescue effort was launched after the bus accident on Tuesday. Nearly 600 personnel, including those from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force, were engaged in the operation.
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