MP bus tragedy: 2 bodies recovered from canal, toll now 53

The death toll in the February 16bus accident in Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh touched 53 after twomore bodies were retrieved from a canal on Friday, officialssaid.

A bus carrying 61 people, including the driver, hadplunged into the canal near Patna village, some 80 kilometresfrom the district headquarters, while coming from Satna.

''Two bodies were retrieved from the canal on Friday byNational Disaster Response Force personnel. As advised by anArmy team that visited the site on Thursday, water was pumpedinto the canal from Bansagar Dam to get the bodies to rise.

With this, the toll has risen to 53,'' Sidhi Collector RavindraKumar Choudhary told PTI.

Sidhi Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kumawat said thetwo deceased have been identified as Ramesh Vishwakarma andYogendra Sharma.

Officials said 60 of the 61 people in the bus, whichhad a sanctioned capacity of only 32, are now accounted for,and search for one missing person continued.

They had informed that seven people, including the busdriver, escaped the tragedy, the latter being held from Satnathe next day after he fled from the site.