MP bus accident: 2 more bodies recovered; toll rises to 49
Rewa/Sidhi, Feb 17: The death toll in the bus accident in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district has gone up to 49 with the recovery of two more bodies on Wednesday morning, police said.
On Tuesday, bodies of 47 people, including 20 women and two children, were recovered after the packed private bus skidded off the road and plunged into a water-filled canal in Sidhi.
The rescue operations, which were halted late Tuesday night, resumed on Wednesday morning and two more bodies were retrieved from the canal, which is part of the Bansagar dam project, Sidhi's Additional Superintendent of Police Anjulata Patle said.
She said out of the two bodies, one was recovered from a part of the canal falling under Govindgarh police station limits in the adjoining Rewa district, about 10 km from the accident site.
"So far, 49 bodies have been found. The search operation is continuing in the canal in Sidhi and Rewa (over a stretch of 25 km) as around five more people are suspected to be missing," she said.
Nearly 600 personnel, including from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local authorities, from five districts are engaged in the rescue operation since Tuesday morning, officials said.
The accident took place on Tuesday morning near Patna village, around 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarters, when the bus was on its way to Satna from Sidhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief at the 'horrific' bus accident and approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a separate ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
Chouhan on Tuesday said he ordered to stop the water outflow from the Bansagar dam so that water level in the canal could go down and help in the rescue operation.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
