Bus accident claims over 20 lives in Karnataka's Mandya

A private bus ferrying around 30 passengers toppled into a canal in the afternoon hours at Kanagana Maradi village in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district in Karnataka. Preliminary reports suggest that negligent driving could be the cause of the accident. Residents and police rushed to rescue the passengers stuck in the accident.

Over 20 people including 11 women, 6 men and 4 children have died in a horrific accident. Mandya district-in-charge minister CS Puttaraju visited the spot and oversaw the rescue operations. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy visited the spot and announcement five lakh rupees ex gratia to the families of the deceased. 

After learning about the tragic accident several leaders expressed their condolences. President Ramnath Kovind tweeted:

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Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said, "25 people have died. I believe the driver was not driving properly, I will find out, take some more inputs".

Survivor's Tale

Lohith, a boy who survived the accident said that he managed to escape from the bus by breaking the glass after it drowned. Eye-witness accounts say that the driver drove closer to the narrow strip while it toppled into the canal. 

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah visited the spot and said that RTO (Regional Transport Office) officials are at fault. A large number of residents protested and demanded those were negligent to be put behind bars. They also took minister CS Puttaraju to task. Investigations are underway to find out the cause of the accident.

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