Special Arrangement
An ill fated Punjab Roadway bus being taken out from Bhakhra canal.
CM announces Rs. one lakh ex-gratia to family of those killed
At least 40 people were feared drowned when a
State-owned luxury bus plunged into the Bhakra canal, near the landmark
Sirhind floating restaurant, along the national highway No.1 in the wee
hours of Wednesday. Two bodies and a portion of the bus were recovered
till reports last came in.
Though the SSP of
Fatehgarh Sahib district, Gurmeet Singh Chauhan under whose jurisdiction
the accident occurred did not confirm the toll, an official release
through which the Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal expressed shock
over the tragedy said that all the passengers in the ill-fated bus were
feared dead.
The accident occurred when the Amritsar
bound bus, crashed through the railing of the bridge and plunged into
the canal at around 2 a.m. The bus was swept away for almost 3 km before
it got stuck at Saundh headworks, which are downstream from the site of
the accident. Reports said that at least 40 passengers boarded the bus
at Delhi on Tuesday night.
The Chief Minister deputed
Transport and Irrigation Ministers, Ajit Singh Kohar and Janmeja Singh
Sekhon, to visit the accident site and supervise the rescue operations.
Punjab government has sounded an alert along the Bhakhra mainline,
Narwana canal and Sirhind feeder, to look for survivors and recover the
bodies of the victims. Authorities feared the bodies could have been
swept away for about 30 km. Services of the Army divers were
requisitioned to assist the civil and police administration.
Mr.
Badal while expressing grief over the tragedy, announced Rs. one lakh
ex-gratia to the next of the kin of those killed in the accident and
free medical treatment to the injured. Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir
Singh and Revenue and Public Relations Minister, Bikram Singh Majithia,
conveyed their condolences.
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