25 people, including 5 children, dead as bus falls into canal in Karnataka

MANDYA: Twenty five people, including five children, were killed after a bus fell into a canal in south Karnataka this afternoon. Authorities fear the number of people who have died could be higher. Around 30 to 35 people were travelling in the private bus.

The accident took place in Mandya, 105 km from Bengaluru.

The bus fell into the canal after the driver lost control, the police said. Many passengers could not escape from the bus as it fell to its side, trapping the doors on the floor of the canal. The bus soon submerged.

Farmers working in nearby fields started rescue work immediately and rescued a few passengers.

"I believe the driver was not driving properly... I will find out," Karnataka



Duty Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara said.

Visuals from the site of the accident showed locals using ropes to try and pull the bus out from the water body. The bodies of the victims were pulled out and laid out on the ground.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy instructed the minister in charge of Mandya and the Deputy Commissioner to reach the site as soon as possible and oversee the rescue operation.

"I'm sorry to hear about the terrible bus accident in Mandya district of Karnataka in which over 20 people are feared dead & many others injured.  I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased & pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted.