BHOPAL: Three passengers, including two women from Indore and a young man from eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district, died after a bus and a car plunged into a gorge following a collision in the hilly Bheru Ghat area of Indore’s Mhow subdivision.
The accident occurred on Monday night around 10 pm and left at least 13 others injured. They are receiving treatment at hospitals in Mhow and Indore.
The deceased have been identified as Padma Bai (45) and Anita Rao (40), both residents of Indore, and 25-year-old Rahul from Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh.
Among the 13 injured were four women and two teenagers. They hail from Indore and Khandwa districts of Madhya Pradesh, Mainpuri (UP), as well as Pune and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra and Surat (Gujarat).
According to sources, the bus, which was travelling from Omkareshwar (Khandwa) to Indore, was carrying 35–40 passengers. Many injured passengers trapped inside the bus were reportedly rescued after breaking the window glass. The mishap is believed to have occurred due to possible drunken driving by the bus driver.
Condoling the deaths, the state’s Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, who is also the guardian minister of Indore district, announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each from the CM Discretionary Fund to the three bereaved families. The state government will also cover the treatment costs of the 13 injured passengers at Mhow Civil Hospital and MY Hospital, Indore.