Murshidabad (West Bengal): 37 people lost their lives in West Bengal’s Murshidabad when Malda-bound bus fell into a deep canal on Monday morning. So far, 37 bodies have been fished out of the water. The bus was carrying 50 passengers.
The incident occurred when the bus broke the railings of Balighat bridge, near the Domkal subdivision, and fell into the canal in the wee hours on Monday. The day long search and rescue operation launched by the National Disaster Response Force resulted in finding the bodies– the bus has also been pulled out of the canal using four cranes. The search operation will resume on Tuesday. According to reports, at least 10 women and two children were among the dead.
The Times of India reported that most of the dead were employees of the state government. The bus fell in the gorge as it avoided a head-on collision with a truck. Witnesses said that the driver was talking on his phone when the accident occurred.
Seven people, who were standing near the door, jumped off the bus after it broke the railings. One of them died in the hospital while the other six were being treated for injuries. Authorities say that the chances of finding a survivor were slim.
“It was foggy, so all I saw was the truck, coming from the opposite direction, draw perilously close to the bus. Desperate to avoid the truck, the bus swerved to the right and fell over the bridge. It smashed a 20-foot concrete railing and fell headlong into the creek,” a witness told TOI.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 Lakh for the kin of the deceased, who lost lives in the accident.