Last rites of U'khand bus accident victims performed in MP

Bhopal, June 7 (IANS) Last rites of the pilgrims who died in a tragic accident in Uttrakhand were performed in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district on Tuesday.

Out of 25 people who died in the accident on Sunday, 24 were residents of Panna district, and one from the adjoining Chhatarpur.

After an Air Force carrier landed at the Khajuraho airport with the bodies on Monday evening, the state administration made arrangements to send them to their villages.

Panna District Collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra said that ambulances from Satna, Panna, Chattarpur carried the bodies.

The state BJP president V.D.Sharma, who is an MP from the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, along with officials from the administration met the families of the deceased.

Addressing the media, Sharma said that the state government stood with bereaved families, adding that it was also taking care of people who were injured in the accident.

The bus, which was carrying a total of 30 people including the driver and helper, fell into a 150-metre-deep gorge on Sunday as it was travelling to the Yamunotri Dham.

Later that day, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with V.D. Sharma, Cabinet Minister Brijendra Pratap Singh, DGP Sudhir Saxena, and OSD Yogesh Chaudhary arrived in Uttarakhand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each deceased, the state government has also decided an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of the victims and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

The government will also bear all medical expenses of the injured.