NARSINGHPUR: Three persons were killed and 24 others injured, six of them critically, when the bus they were travelling in overturned after hitting a road divider in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh, police said.
The accident took place at Linga village shortly before Thursday midnight, they said.
"The bus was returning from a marriage event when it hit a road divider and overturned. Three persons, identified as Karthik Gurjar (16), Pahalwan Sarathe (60) and Udairam Thakur (55), died on the spot and their bodies were sent for post-mortem," Kareli police station in-charge inspector Akhilesh Mishra told PTI.
A total of 24 passengers were injured in the mishap, he said, adding that six critically injured were admitted to the district hospital, while others who suffered minor injuries are being treated at Kareli Primary Health Centre, he said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the bus was being driven on the wrong side of the road, Mishra said.
"After the incident, the driver fled from the spot, leaving behind the bus which was later impounded," he said.
A case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rash driving, was registered against the bus driver, he said, adding that the police have launched an operation to trace him.