At least 30 people were charred to death and 13 others injured when a bus in which they were travelling fell from a bridge into a valley and caught fire in Panna on Monday.
The driver of the bus, which was going from Chhatarpur to Satna carrying over 40 passengers, reportedly lost control over steering while negotiating a turn.
The incident took place at the bridge near Pandav Falls, near Panna Tiger Reserve, about 10 km from Panna town.
IG (Chhatarpur) Pankaj Shrivastava said that 21 charred bodies were pulled out from the private bus that had a capacity to carry only 35 passengers. He said that the bus caught fire as its diesel tank exploded when it skidded down to the nullah from the bridge.
The bus operated by Anup Travels from Chhatarpur to Satna via Panna had started at around 12.40 pm and the mishap occurred about an hour later.
While the condition of 12 survivors was reported to be out of danger at a Government hospital in Panna, a 42-year old passenger who had sustained serious burns was referred to another hospital.
One of the survivors told the district authorities that the bus was being driven at a very high speed when the mishap occurred. local people, however, claimed that the number of passengers was much more than the official figures.
While ordering a magisterial inquiry, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the dead. He also announced Rs 50,000 each as assistance to the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 each to others with minor injuries.
Meanwhile, Ministers Rajendra Shukla and Maya Singh also expressed profound grief over the accident.