BHOPAL, May 15 (IANS) - Wedding festivities ended in mournful wailing for the near and dear ones of 28 people who were electrocuted Friday when the bus, in which they were going home in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla, came in contact with a high-voltage cable.
"There was a metal cabinet on top of the bus which came in contact with a high-voltage power cable, resulting in the electrocution of 28 of the wedding guests. They included 23 women, two children and two men," Mandla Superintendent of Police KK Sharma told IANS over phone.
Many people were injured in the horrific accident that took place near Gopalpura village in Mandla district, about 450 km from Bhopal.
Giving details, after preliminary inquiries, police said a high-tension overhead wire came in contact with the metal cabinet kept on the roof of the bus and high voltage current electrocuted 25 passengers who got stuck inside. Three of the 15 injured died on the way to hospital.
All the passengers in the bus were returning from a marriage in Pindrai to Mandla town.
"Twenty-eight people have died in the accident that occurred when the fully-packed private bus collided with the electric pole," Balaghat Inspector General of Police CV Muniraju told IANS. The crash caused the high-voltage cable to snap and fall on the bus.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 100,000 for the families of those killed and Rs. 10,000 for those injured.
District Collector KK Khare, who reached the spot with a rescue team, has ordered a magisterial probe while a criminal case has been registered against the bus owner and driver. The driver, who had run away after the incident, has been arrested.
The injured have been admitted to Mandla district hospital.
