(MENAFN - Gulf Times) At least 33 people, many of them Hindu pilgrims, were killed after a bus plunged into a river in Rajasthan yesterday.
According to police, the bus skidded off the bridge, crashed through the railing and fell about 100ft into the Banas river in the Sawai Madhopur district, some 160km from the state capital Jaipur
'A total of 33 bodies have been recovered from the river. Seven women and four children are among the victims, police officer Anoop Singh said by phone from the site of the accident.
Seven other passengers were injured.
Television footage showed rescue workers in waist deep water pulling bodies from the bus, which was half submerged in the river.
District police chief Maman Singh said initial investigations suggested the driver had lost control of the bus while trying to overtake another vehicle on the bridge.
Other media reports said that the bus was being driven by a 16-year-old helper of the bus - too young to be driving the vehicle.
He was among the victims.
NDTV network reported that the driver was sleeping at the time.
Police however said investigations were ongoing and declined to confirm this.
The bus was carrying worshippers to a Hindu shrine as well as locals from Rajasthan, police said.
The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where the condition of one of the passengers was said to be serious.
Police said most of the passengers were accounted for but teams from the National Disaster Response Force were still carrying out rescue work to find if there were survivors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, anguished by the tragedy, has offered his condolences to the families of the affected.
'My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. The state government is closely monitoring the situation, including rescue operations and providing all possible assistance to those affected, Modi tweeted.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia ordered quick action to rescue the injured.
Authorities announced a compensation of Rs200,000 each to the families of the dead and Rs50,000 each to the injured.
Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf said the injured would be taken care of on priority in hospitals.
Both government and private doctors are tending to the injured, said state legislator Diya Kumari who was present at the spot.
District officials led by District Collector Kailash Chand Verma and Superintendent of Police Maman Singh reached the spot to supervise search and rescue operations.
Inspector General of Police Alok Vashishth too was present.
Eyewitnesses said several locals helped in rescue operations.
Diya Kumari said the government would extend full support to the families of the dead and the injured.
She said efforts would be made to build a concrete bridge at the accident spot.
Rajasthan, known as the desert state, is popular with both international and domestic tourists drawn to its palaces and desert forts.
In another accident, six people, including three of a family, were killed when a speeding truck hit an auto-rickshaw in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district, police said.

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