At least eight people lost their lives and several others sustained critical injuries after a minibus carrying devotees overturned and plunged into a 15-foot-deep drain on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Kota district early Saturday.The accident occurred around 6:00 AM near pole number 384. The vehicle, carrying approximately 25 passengers including elderly individuals and children, was en route from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, to the revered Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthan. Preliminary investigations and eyewitness accounts suggest that the tragedy unfolded when the driver lost control of the vehicle, possibly after dozing off at the wheel.
Emergency rescue operations commenced swiftly, with local residents and emergency personnel working together to extract the victims. The process was initially hampered by the accumulation of water and heavy silt inside the drain, prompting authorities to deploy heavy cranes to haul the severely damaged bus out of the ditch. The rescued passengers were immediately rushed to nearby medical facilities for urgent care. Kota District Collector Piyush Samariya confirmed that seven individuals were declared dead on arrival at the New Medical College Hospital (NMCH), while one fatality was recorded at the MBS Hospital.Senior police and district administration officials visited the hospitals to oversee the medical response and coordinate assistance for the affected families.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma expressed profound grief over the tragic loss of lives. Taking to the social media platform X, the Chief Minister described the incident as “extremely heartbreaking” and offered his deep condolences to the bereaved families. He assured the public that strict instructions have been issued to the concerned local authorities and hospital administrations to ensure comprehensive medical treatment for the injured and to provide all necessary assistance to the victims’ families during this difficult time.
