15 laborers travelling home for Diwali die in bus-truck collision
At least 15 persons died and 40 others were injured after a bus ferrying them crashed into a stationary truck in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district. The bus was on its way to Gorakhpur when it rammed into a mangled truck that had collided with another vehicle late on Friday night. At the time of accident, about 100 passengers, primarily laborers from UP, were onboard.
Critically injured being treated at Rewa hospital
According to officials, those injured in the accident were sent to a nearby hospital in Suhagi, and seriously wounded were being treated at Rewa's Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. The majority of the passengers on the bus were laborers from Uttar Pradesh who were returning home for Diwali, said Rewa Superintendent of Police Navneet Bhasin.
Laborers initially arrived from Hyderabad
According to reports, the laborers arrived in Katni from Hyderabad on a different vehicle and then boarded another bus bound for Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, when the incident occurred. Some bystanders called the police soon after the accident. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Police has filed a case and an investigation is underway to determine the exact reason for the accident.
Watch: Horrific video shot in the aftermath of the incident
UP CM Adityanath announces ex gratia
The UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences over the incident and announced Rs. 2 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased. Each injured will receive Rs. 50,000, he added. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, his Madhya Pradesh counterpart, has also expressed grief over the disaster. The Rewa district government is making arrangements to convey the remains to their family members, Chauhan added.