24 killed, 5 injured as bus carrying wedding party plunges into river in Bundi

Twenty-four people were killed and five others sustained injuries after a private bus carrying a wedding party fell into a river on Kota-Dausa highway in Bundi district on Wednesday morning, police said. The wedding party with at least 29 persons on board was headed to Sawai Madhopur from Kota when driver Shyam Singh apparently lost control of the bus around 9.30 am while on a bridge near Papdi village under Lakheri police station limits, Lakheri Sub-Inspector Rajendra Kumar told PTI over phone.

The bus, then, plunged into Mej river from the bridge that had no wall or railing, he said. Thirteen people died on the spot including the driver while the others succumbed to their injuries on the way to a hospital in Lakheri town, the policeman added.

Reacting to the incident on Twitter, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "I am deeply saddened to learn about the tragic incident in Bundi in which 24 persons have lost lives after the bus fell into river Mej." He shared his condolences to the bereaved families and wished for speedy recovery of those who were injured in the incident.

Gehlot also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. Bundi District Collector Antar Singh Nehra told PTI that the 24 people who died include 11 women, 10 men and three children while a woman and a minor girl were among the five injured.

He said three of the injured are in a state of trauma and have been sent to a hospital in Kota for treatment. Two of the injured were discharged after receiving treatment, Nehra further said.

After being discharged, the two persons claimed that the bus lost control as one of the wheels came off, the collector quoted them as saying. However, it has not yet been confirmed as the reason behind the accident, Nehra clarified.

The five injured persons were identified as Murli (55), a resident of Basant Vihar, Ganeshpal area of Kota city; Deepak Sindhi (18), son of Narayan; Amit (35); Kannu (13), daughter of Suresh; Manju (35), wife of Mahavir Dhobi, Lakheri SI Kumar said. According to Murli, his family was headed to Sawai Madhopur city to offer Maayra (a wedding ritual) to his sister following his niece's wedding when the bus driver reportedly lost control and plunged the vehicle into the river from a height of 20-25 feet.

Police reached within 15 minutes of being informed as a team from Lakheri police station rushed to the spot, a police personnel of the squad said. Hearing the loud sound of the bus falling into the river, nearby villagers rushed to the spot beneath the bridge and found one person coming out of the partly submerged vehicle, SI Rajendra Kumar said.

"We found the locals pulling out the people from the bus with the help of a rope and also joined the rescue operation with whatever resources were available, the SI added. DSP Shyamsunder Vishoni said the bus has still not been pulled out of the river and efforts are still on.

The cause of the accident would be ascertained only after a thorough investigation into the matter, the DSP said. The autopsy of all 24 bodies was done at a government hospital in Lakheri. Later, they were sent to Kota to be handed over to the family members, the policeman said.

Meanwhile, Ramdev Dhobi, younger brother of one of the deceased, said, "Besides my elder brother Ramesh Dhobi, I have lost my entire maternal family including four maternal uncles, two maternal aunts, their husbands and children. All of them are gone in the accident." PTI CORR HDA

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