Bus Plunges into Ganga; Over Two Dozen Killed
Patna: May 11, 2007
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Bus Plunges into Ganga in Patna
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Photo by Shashi Uttam |
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(Some photo blurred for being graphic in
nature.) |
Nearly two dozen people perished when a state transport bus carrying many passengers from Raxaul to Patna plunged more than 75 feet in the Ganga River from Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna early Friday morning, officials said.
While 22 bodies had been recovered from the wreck, the death toll was expected to rise as many people were still trapped in the rubble. Before the police could arrive, villagers and divers rushed to the accident site in the hope of rescuing the survivors.
The accident occurred at around 3:30 am, villagers said.
Unofficial sources, however, put the death toll to 31.
More than a dozen people who survived the fall were taken to the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) for treatment.
Most passengers were asleep when the driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into the bridge rails falling off over 70 feet in the dry area of the river, one of the survivors who managed to walk away from the accident with only minor bruises, said.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
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