Chhattisgarh bus crash kills six, injures 40 as vehicle rams into roadside tree

A bus carrying 46 passengers crashed into a roadside tree near Semarmathani turn in Chhattisgarh’s Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district shortly after noon on Thursday, killing six people, including four women, and leaving 40 others injured, police said.

The vehicle was travelling from Manendragarh to Kelhari village when the driver apparently lost control, Superintendent of Police Ratna Singh said, citing the account of an injured passenger.

Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed condolences to the victims’ families and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each deceased passenger’s family and Rs 50,000 for every injured person.

"Six persons, including four women, died in the accident, while around 20 others, including the driver, sustained serious injuries. Twenty other passengers sustained minor wounds," the SP said.

Of the grievously injured, two have been shifted to a hospital in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district, and two others to the district hospital in Chirmiri, she said.

The rest are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Manendragarh, Singh added.

An FIR will be lodged in connection with the accident and action will be taken against those found guilty after the investigation, she informed.

In a post on X, Sai said, "The untimely demise of 6 people in a horrific bus accident on the Manendragarh-Kelhari road is deeply distressing. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this heart-wrenching incident."

The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those injured, he said.

The injured are currently undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital in Manendragarh and the District Hospital in Chirmiri, while two passengers who sustained serious injuries have been referred to Ambikapur for better medical care, he said.

Sai said he has directed the district administration to ensure all necessary arrangements for the treatment of the injured.