The accident took place near Badjhar Ghat area around 1.30 am when the driver of the ill-fated vehicle lost control while negotiating a blind turn.
By: Shubham Ghosh
AT LEAST 14 people were killed while 20 others were injured when a pick-up vehicle overturned and fell into a deep valley in Dindori district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh early on Thursday (29).
The accident took place near Badjhar Ghat area around 1.30 am when the driver of the ill-fated vehicle lost control while negotiating a blind turn. The vehicle then swerved off the road and fell into a valley which is 40-50 feet deep.
Sources in the police said 14 people died on the spot while 20 others were injured. The deceased included seven men, six women and a child, they added.
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Indian president Droupadi Murmu and prime minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident.
The latter announced an assistance of Rs 2 lakh (£1,905) to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 (£476) for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
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Mohan Yadav, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, also announced an assistance of Rs 4 lakh (£3,810) to the kin of each of the deceased. He also sent state cabinet minister Sampatiya Uikey to rush to Dindori to oversee the relief work.
The victims were returning after taking part in an event, sub divisional officer of police Mukesh Avindra said. Local administrative and police officers rushed to the spot soon after. The injured were taken to a local health centre. Condition of six of the injured were reported to be serious, one official source said, adding that two of them were referred to the city of Jabalpur, located around 140 kilometres from Dindori, for treatment.
Murmu in a post on X said in Hindi, “I express my condolences to the bereaved family members. I pray that all the people injured in this accident get well soon.”
मध्य प्रदेश के डिंडौरी जिले में हुई सड़क दुर्घटना में अनेक लोगों के हताहत होने का समाचार अत्यंत पीड़ादायक है। मैं शोक संतप्त परिवारजनों के प्रति संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करती हूं। मेरी प्रार्थना है कि इस हादसे में घायल हुए सभी लोग शीघ्र स्वस्थ हों।
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 29, 2024
“The road accident in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh is very sad. My condolences are with the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery to all the injured persons. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in providing all possible assistance to the victims,” the prime minister’s office said in a post on X quoting Modi.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Dindori, MP. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi https://t.co/15gyTtPM5X
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 29, 2024