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Twenty four people were killed and more than 40 others injured after a private bus fell from a bridge on a dry river bed in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district on Tuesday morning, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said.
A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident which took place at 8.40 am, Mishra told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the road accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
The bus broke railings of Dasanga bridge and fell on a dry bed of the Borad river near Dongargaon village, Mishra said.
The vehicle was carrying around 50 passengers when it met with the accident, a police official said.
Twenty two people were killed in the accident, Mishra said.
The injured persons were admitted to the district hospital in Khargone.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of those killed in the accident.
The seriously injured persons will be given Rs 50,000 and those who received minor injuries will be given Rs 25,000, Mishra said.
The state government will bear entire expenses of the treatment, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The road accident in Khargone is very saddening. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this accident. Also, I wish speedy recovery to all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is providing all possible help on the spot," Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
"An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the bus accident in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh. The injured would be given Rs 50,000," he said.
After the bus fell from the bridge, some villagers rushed to the spot. They pulled out people trapped inside the bus from the windows and backside of the vehicle, as per eyewitnesses.
Locals were also seen carrying people and offering water to the harried passengers amid the hot weather, they said.
Khargone Collector Shivraj Singh Verma, Superintendent of Police Dharamvir Singh and local MLA Ravi Joshi were among those who reached the spot soon after getting information about the accident.
Former Union minister Arun Yadav, who belongs to Khargone, also expressed grief over the incident.