10 die as bus falls into roadside pond in Bihar

Death toll is likely to increase in a bus accident in Madhubani in which the vehicle plunged into a road side pond on Monday. The bus, according to officials, was carrying more than 50 passengers.

“The bus has been taken out from the pond. So far we have recovered 10 bodies. A search operation has been launched,” superintendent of police, Madhubani, Deepak Barnwal said.

The incident took place at Basitha chowk under Bennipatti police station in Madhubani district. Local residents who had initially launched the rescue operation soon after the accident occurred complained of administrative failure and said, “We had informed the authorities on time but they turned up late as usual.”

Angry residents later launched a violent protest on the streets of Madhubani shouting slogans against officials. According to eyewitnesses, the driver lost control of the bus and it plunged into a 25 feet deep pond. The bus was on its way to Sitamarhi from Madhubani.

Meanwhile, chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed deep grief over the incident and asked the officials to monitor the situation. Official sources said, “A team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has also been sent to the accident site.”