6 Killed, 40 Injured As Bus Crashes Into Tree In Chhattisgarh

Six persons, including four women, were killed and 40 others injured after a bus collided with a roadside tree in Chhattisgarh's Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB) district on Thursday, police said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the accident and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each injured person.

The accident took place shortly after noon near Semarmathani turn when the bus, with 46 passengers, was heading towards Kelhari village from Manendragarh, Superintendent of Police Ratna Singh said.

Prima facie, the bus driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into the roadside tree, she said, citing the account of an injured passenger.

"Six persons, including four women, died in the accident, while around 20 others, including the driver, sustained serious injuries. Twenty other passengers sustained minor wounds," the SP said.

Of the grievously injured, two have been shifted to a hospital in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district, and two others to the district hospital in Chirmiri, she said.

The rest are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Manendragarh, Singh added.

An FIR will be lodged in connection with the accident and action will be taken against those found guilty after the investigation, she informed.

In a post on X, Sai said, "The untimely demise of 6 people in a horrific bus accident on the Manendragarh-Kelhari road is deeply distressing. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this heart-wrenching incident."

The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those injured, he said.

The injured are currently undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital in Manendragarh and the District Hospital in Chirmiri, while two passengers who sustained serious injuries have been referred to Ambikapur for better medical care, he said.

Sai said he has directed the district administration to ensure all necessary arrangements for the treatment of the injured.

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