Sidhi, February 16: At least 45 people died and several others remained missing after a bus fell off a bridge into a canal in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district today. The fatal accident took place around 8:30 am. The bus, carrying more than 50 passengers, was heading towards Satna from Sidhi district. The mishap took place reportedly after the driver lost control of the bus while crossing a bridge.

A total of 45 bodies were recovered from the canal, while rescuers saved seven people. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took cognisance of the matter and asked District Collector to speed up the rescue operation. Chaouhan said, "The rescue operation has completed. It is unfortunate that 45 dead bodies have been recovered." A team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was also engaged in the rescue operation.

The bus fell into Sharada Canal, which is the main canal emerging from Bansagar Dam and is around 30 feet deep. Water from Sharada Canal is being released into Sihawal Canal to lower its water level for the rescue operation. State Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat, along with his cabinet colleague Ramkhilavan Patel, visited the spot for supervision of ongoing search and rescue operation.

PM Narendra Modi Announces Compensation:

"The bus is completely submerged. It is heart-breaking. The water supply from Bansagar Dam has been stopped, due to which the water level has come down. It will help in the search operation," BJP MLA Shardendu Tiwari told news agency IANS. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2021 02:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).