8 killed as pilgrim bus plunges into ditch

At least eight pilgrims were killed when a bus overturned and plunged into a 15-foot-deep ditch on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in India's Rajasthan state early on Saturday (October 17).

The bus was travelling from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh to the Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthan with 25 passengers, including women, children and elderly people. The accident occurred near milestone 384 of the expressway at around 6AM in Kota district.

Rescue workers and local residents joined the operation to pull passengers from the wreckage. The rescue effort was hampered by silt and water in the ditch, prompting authorities to deploy a crane to retrieve the bus.

Kota District Collector Piyush Samariya confirmed that eight people had died in the accident. He said 17 passengers were taken to New Medical College Hospital (NMCH), where seven were declared dead, while eight others were taken to MBS Hospital, where one died.

The injured are undergoing treatment at the hospitals. Preliminary findings suggest that the driver may have lost control of the bus, but authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Source: India Today

-AH