Bengaluru: At least 30 passengers, which included 15 women, 9 children and 6 men, were killed on Saturday afternoon after a bus plunged into a canal in Karnataka's Mandya district.
The bus carrying 35 passengers got completely submerged in the 12-feet deep water body. Some locals jumped in to rescue the victims, but found it tough to pull out those stuck inside. Officials said that the toll is likely to rise further and several more have suffered serious injuries.
The incident occurred after the vehicle fell into VC canal of the Cauvery river near Kanakanamaradi of Pandavapura taluk. The bus, which was headed towards Mandya city from Pandavapura, had several school kids in it as they had a half-day on Saturday, locals said.
CM HD Kumaraswamy burst into tears after seeing deceased bodies in Kanaganamaradi. He has announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus was going at a high speed and the driver lost control when he had to take a right turn, leading to the accident. They told News18 that the driver and the conductor swam out of the canal and fled after the accident.
Two boys, who also knew swimming, too managed to get out and brought help from nearby villagers. A survivor said the doors of the bus were locked and those inside were unable to open them. The two boys who got out made their way through window and rushed towards the nearest village to seek help.
Several children were in the bus as they were returning home after half-day at school. (Photo: News18)
District in-charge minister CS Puttaraju, southern range Inspector General of Police Sharath Chandra, Mysore SP Amit Singh and other authorities rushed to the spot and are supervising the rescue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply pained by the news of the accident.,
Deeply pained the bus accident in Karnataka’s Mandya. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. May God give them strength in this hour of sadness: PM @narendramodi— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 24, 2018
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also extended condolences to the families of the deceased and said he prays for the speedy recovery of the injured.
I'm sorry to hear about the terrible bus accident in Mandya district of Karnataka in which over 20 people are feared dead & many others injured. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased & pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 24, 2018
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