Petlawad (Madhya Pradesh): A sleeper bus travelling from Indore to Rajkot overturned in Jhabua's Petlawad area around 2 am on Monday, resulting in three deaths and injury to more than 15 passengers.
The accident occurred near Patharpada village on State Highway 18 when the bus (MP 09 PA 0271) lost control and flipped.
The victims were Ahmedabad residents Mohammad Arif (45), his wife Farzana Arif (42) and 10-year-old Aman Yadav. Emergency services quickly transported the injured to Petlawad hospital via 108 ambulance, where they received medical treatment. Their condition is stable.
Police officials, including Petlawad station in-charge Dinesh Sharma and outpost in-charge Deepak Deore reached the scene.
Recovery efforts required two JCB machines and a crane to lift the overturned bus and retrieve the victims trapped underneath.
The bus driver, Jitendra Patel from Indore, fled the scene immediately after the accident. Authorities, including SDOP Petlawad Kamlesh Sharma and tehsildar Petlawad Nigwal, also reached the location.
The bus carried more than 30 passengers at the time of the accident. While half of them sustained injuries requiring medical attention, the remaining passengers escaped unharmed.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident and are searching for the absconded driver, said police.
