Six passengers were injured, one critically, after a bus travelling from Indore to Baktara overturned on the Indore-Betul National Highway in Dewas district late on Friday night. The driver allegedly fled the scene after the crash in the Polay area, police said.
The accident occurred near Kamlapur amid heavy traffic heading towards Nemawar for a holy dip in the Narmada on the occasion of Shaneshwari and Sarva Pitru Moksha Amavasya. Police said the bus lost control while overtaking another vehicle and overturned.
According to eyewitnesses, around 37 passengers were travelling on the bus when it crashed. The impact caused panic among passengers, with screams reported from inside the overturned vehicle.
Kamlapur police station in-charge SS Meena reached the site with a police team after receiving information about the accident. Local residents helped pull the injured passengers from the bus before they were taken to a private hospital in the Chapda area.
Most of the injured passengers were discharged after receiving first aid, according to the report. A youth from Satwas, identified as Manish Yogi, sustained serious injuries and remained under treatment.
The bus driver was identified as Vishnu, a resident of Bhopal. Police said he left the spot after the accident. The conductor, Govind Rathore, a resident of Budhni, told police that the driver lost control while attempting to overtake, causing the bus to overturn.
The crash took place on a highway carrying increased vehicle movement towards Nemawar, adding to the operational risks faced by passenger vehicles during periods of concentrated religious travel. The supplied report did not specify whether the bus operator had been located or whether a formal case had been registered against the driver.
The immediate police response involved extracting passengers from the overturned bus and shifting them to hospital for treatment. Further action against the driver and investigation into the circumstances of the crash remain with the Kamlapur police.
