Bhopal Pilgrims Accident In Rajasthan: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed in a minibus accident in Rajasthan's Kota district while travelling to the Khatu Shyam Ji temple.
Eight people were killed and 15 others injured, eight of them critically, after the vehicle veered off the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and plunged into a 15-foot-deep drain around 6 a.m, police said on Saturday. The passengers were from extended families in Bhopal and Betul districts of Madhya Pradesh and had set out on a pilgrimage to Rajasthan on Friday evening, Kota Rural Superintendent of Police, Sujeet Shankar, said.
Expressing grief over the deaths, Yadav said he had directed officials to provide financial assistance to the bereaved families and extend all possible support to them. "The news of the loss of lives in an accident involving a minibus travelling from Bhopal to Khatu Shyam Ji in Kota today is extremely tragic and painful," the chief minister said in a statement.
The accident occurred near pole number 384 on the expressway in the Simliya police station area. The driver is suspected to have dozed off or become drowsy, causing the vehicle to veer off the road, police said. The exact cause of the accident is yet to be established. Rescue personnel reached the spot after receiving information about the accident. Mud and water accumulated in the drain initially hampered the operation, following which cranes were deployed to retrieve the damaged vehicle and rescue those trapped inside. The injured were taken to the New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital in Kota. Hospital officials said the injured were being treated, with critically injured patients shifted to intensive care.
Yadav expressed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured. "May Baba Mahakal grant peace to the departed souls and give strength to the grieving families to bear this immense loss. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said. The state government said officials had been instructed to ensure that the affected families received financial assistance and all possible support.
