18 killed in bus accident in Bihar

Patna, May 11 (UNI) At least 18 people were killed and 15 injured when a Patna-bound bus skidded off Mahatma Gandhi setu in Vaishali district early this morning.

The toll may rise as majority of passengers were seriously injured.

The bus broke into pieces after falling from a height of 100-150 ft.

The state transport bus was on its way to Patna from Raxaul when the driver lost control of the vehicle and the bus fell off the bridge breaching the boundary at 0330 hrs.

District Magistrate Lalan Singh has confirmed 18 causalties, including the driver.

He said six seriously injured were rushed to the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), while the rest were undergoing treatment at Hajipur Sadar Hospital.

A team of doctors has been rushed to Hajipur from PMCH to the accident spot, the Mr Singh informed.

He said the reason behind the accident is yet to be ascertained.

A rescue operation was on, he added.

The DMs of Motihari and Raxaul have been contacted to inform the relatives of the victims.

On hearing a loud sound the people from nearby villages rushed to the spot soon after the accident and started the rescue operation on their own. Later the police took charge of the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, Bihar Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav admitted that the boundary wall of the bridge, which is the longest bridge in Asia, is weak and at some places has developed cracks in its pillars as well. The Minister assured to take all necessary steps to repair the wall.

UNI