Will never forget this tragedy as long as I live: eye-witness to Chhattisgarh bus accident

Will never forget this tragedy as long as I live: eye-witness to Chhattisgarh bus accident

Dileshwari Sahu, who runs a grocery shop near the site where a bus accident claimed 12 lives on Tuesday night in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, says she will not be able to forget the incident for the rest of her life.

She could hear people screaming for help but not see much as it was night and there were no lights on the road, Sahu told PTI on Wednesday.

Twelve people including three women were killed and 14 injured as the bus they were travelling in fell into a 'murum' soil mine pit near Khapri village on the outskirts of Kumhari town on Tuesday night.

The victims, all employees of a distillery company, were returning home after work. The bus with more than 30 people onboard skidded off the road and plunged into the 40 feet-deep abandoned mine.

Sahu, who is in her mid-30s, was among the first to reach the accident spot.

She was busy at her shop when she heard a loud noise around 8:20 pm. Her roadside shop stands adjacent to the mine pit.

She immediately came out and ran towards the source of the noise, she said.

''I could not see anything as it was night and there were no lights on the road. I only saw dust billowing out of the pit,'' she said.

''Then I realized that a big vehicle had fallen in, but could not assess what kind of vehicle it was. Suddenly I heard screams. I quickly called my family members and also stopped some people who were passing down the road. One of them called '112' police helpline and the police reached within 15 minutes,'' Sahu said.

After the dust settled, she saw people trapped in the bus. Some of them were apparently already dead. ''I will not forget this incident as long as I live, '' Sahu said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the kin of the deceased will get financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each from the distillery firm which employed them. Sai also visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur where the injured were undergoing treatment.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who visited the accident spot in the morning, said the injured driver of the bus told him that the headlights of the vehicle suddenly went off, prompting him to apply brakes. The bus then skidded and plunged into the pit.

Following the accident, the Kediya Distillery Company to which the bus belonged was asked not to use this road, and the maintenance of the other road which it will use will be handled by the company itself, the minister said.

A few days ago, a motorcycle rider had fallen into the same pit, Sharma said, adding that officials have now been instructed to install lights on the road and barricades on both sides. A horizontal barricading will also be done to stop heavy vehicles from plying on the road, he added.

City Superintendent of Police (Chhavni area) Harish Patil said the bus fell on its right side, so there were more fatalities among those sitting on that side. The district administration on Wednesday launched a magisterial enquiry into the incident, while the transport department also initiated a separate probe by its road safety committee.

Sub Divisional Magistrate of Bhilai-3, Mahesh Rajput, was appointed as investigating officer, an official statement said.

Additional Transport Commissioner D Ravishankar said the bus had a fitness certificate valid till June, and its insurance too was updated. The driver will be able to explain the circumstances of the accident better and he will be questioned, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)