Sidhi, Feb 17 (UNI) With the recovery of two more bodies, the death toll in the bus accident here mounted to 49 on Wednesday morning, official sources said.
According to the sources, rescue and relief work, which was halted late last night, was resumed in the morning. Two more bodies, which were washed away, were found some distance away from the spot. Till yesterday evening, 47 bodies could be recovered. The dead comprised of 24 men, 21 women and two children. Most of the deceased were residents of Sidhi and Singrauli districts.
The accident took place yesterday morning when a packed bus from Sidhi, en route to Satna, skidded off the road and plunged into a canal near Sarda village. The canal had water up to a height of over 20 feet. The speeding bus was running parallel to the canal when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it rolled down the canal.
After about three hours of struggle, the bus was pulled out of the water with the help of a crane and 47 bodies were fished out during the day-long relief work. About seven people somehow managed to save their lives with the help of villagers.
Today morning, the rescue work was resumed as it is being estimated that four to five more passengers are still missing. There have been reports of about 60 passengers boarding a 32-seater bus.
The majority of the bus riders were young men and women, who left for Satna from Sidhi to take the railway and nursing examinations.
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