A bus carrying several passengers veered off a bridge, resulting in at least 22 dead, including three children, and injuring more than 30 people.
The accident happened on Tuesday, May 9, around 8:30 a.m. as the bus traveled towards Indore in India. Allegedly, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.
The Times of India reported that the bus crashed through the bridge’s railing, plummeting into a dry riverbed below. The impact with the rocky terrain crushed numerous passengers. Following the tragedy, the driver fled the scene.
Local community members responded quickly to the accident, using tractors and trolleys to transport the injured to medical facilities before ambulances arrived on the scene.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan pledged monetary compensation of roughly $4,800 for the families who lost loved ones, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered financial assistance from the National Relief Fund – $600 for those seriously injured and $300 for individuals with minor injuries.
The National Relief Fund, a charitable trust established in 1948, provides financial aid and relief to individuals and communities impacted by disasters and emergencies. The fund collects voluntary contributions from individuals, organizations, and the government to support relief and rehabilitation efforts throughout India.
The Prime Minister’s Office oversees the fund, with the Prime Minister serving as the ex-officio chairman, while a group of trustees manages the fund’s operations. Guidelines and procedures have been established to ensure transparency and accountability in the utilization of the fund.
Distinguished from funds and schemes designed to compensate accident victims, the National Relief Fund focuses on general disaster relief, rather than accident-specific assistance.
India has seen many bus accidents in recent years, with a significant number attributed to dangerous roads and driving conditions in rural areas. These conditions often stem from insufficient infrastructure development, poor road maintenance, and inadequate traffic management. Narrow, winding, and uneven roads, along with inadequate street lighting and improper road signage, make driving particularly perilous, especially during the monsoon season when heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides worsen existing issues. Reckless driving behavior, such as speeding, overtaking on narrow roads, and driving under the influence of alcohol, further contributes to the high number of accidents in these regions. The combination of these factors and overcrowded, poorly maintained vehicles make rural India’s roads among the deadliest in the world, resulting in the loss of lives and severe injuries annually.