MP bus accident: Three missing persons yet to be traced

Efforts to trace three persons,who went missing after a bus plunged into a canal two days agoat Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh killing 51 people, failed to yieldany result on Thursday, an official said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and itsstate unit carried out the search operation during the day,the police official said.

An Army team from Jabalpur has also come and started arecce of the canal, into which the bus fell on Tuesday,superintendent of police Pankaj Kumawat told PTI.

''The NDRF and the State Disaster Response Force put inhard labour to trace the missing persons. Today's searchoperation drew to a close at sunset,'' he said, adding thatefforts to trace them will resume on Friday morning.

An over three-km-long tunnel in the canal, whereoxygen supply is low, is going to be searched for the missingpersons, Sidhi Collector Ravindra Kumar Choudhary said earlierin the day.

Asked how many people were there in the 32-seater buswhen it met with the accident on Tuesday, the official saidthe vehicle was carrying 61 people, including the driver.

Fifty one bodies have so far been recovered and sevenpeople, including the driver, have been rescued.

The bus driver was arrested on Wednesday, the officialsaid.

He said the bus was overcrowded as more than 40passengers were going to neighbouring Satna to appear for someexams.

The accident took place on Tuesday morning near Patnavillage, about 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarters,when the bus heading from Sidhi to Satna fell into the canal,which is part of the Bansagar dam project.

The bus had diverted from its permitted route to avoidtraffic jams, officials said.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan metfamilies of the victims and comforted them.

On Thursday, a day after suspending four officials inconnection with the bus accident, the chief minister said thatthose responsible for the tragedy will be punished.