BHOPAL: At least 15 people, mostly Kol tribals, returning from Kol Mahakumbh addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Satna district, died in a road mishap in the neighbouring Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday night.
The accident happened on Churhat-Rewa highway under Churhat police station area of Sidhi district, when an uncontrolled truck hit three buses boarding the tribals from Sidhi and Singrauli district.
The three buses were parked on an acute turn, a little far away from the Mohania tunnel, which is reportedly MP's longest road tunnel.
As per the police sources, while eight people died on the spot, seven others died on the way to hospitals or at hospitals. Most of those who died or were critically injured were present on the road to buy items from the roadside shops.
While 15 people have been declared dead, 61 others are hospitalized in Rewa and Sidhi district.
At least three critically injured persons are being shifted to state capital for advanced life-saving treatment.
MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan who was present in Satna district along with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, when the accident happened in Sidhi district, rushed to the accident spot with state BJP president VD Sharma and others late on Friday night.
He subsequently took stock of the treatment of injured bus passengers at the Rewa Medical College in Rewa district, where he announced in the wee hours of Saturday, Rs 10 lakh financial assistance to each family who lost their loved ones in the accident. Sum of Rs 2 lakh was announced for each critically injured persons and Rs one lakh for patients with minor injuries.
He also announced to provide government jobs to the kin' of the deceased based on their qualifications and to provide free houses under the government schemes.
Meanwhile, Congress targeted the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government and BJP over the accident, as all those who died or got injured were returning from the Shabri Jayanti-Kol Janjati Mahakumbh of the state government on Friday.
While accusing the BJP government of not learning lessons from the February 2021 tragedy in same Sidhi district (when an overloaded bus had plunged into a canal, killing around 40 passengers), the leader of Opposition Dr Govind Singh demanded state transport minister Govind Singh Rajput's resignation in connection with the mishap.
"The buses used for bringing back the Kol tribe people from the government program in Satna district were overloaded, unfit and didn't possess permit to run on the concerned route. The state's transport minister should take moral responsibility of the mishap and quit from his post," Singh demanded on Saturday.
While demanding judicial probe into the mishap, Singh sought Rs 50 lakh for each family that lost its loved ones in the mishap, Rs 25 lakh for critically injured and Rs 10 lakh for those with normal injuries.