The bus was headed for New Delhi when it skidded off the National Highway 28, near Belwa village in East Champaran district, on Thursday.
A day after 27 people were "charred" when a bus fell into a gorge and caught fire in Bihar, the state government on Friday said there were no casualties in the accident as no bodies had been recovered.
The bus was headed for New Delhi when it skidded off the National Highway 28, near Belwa village in East Champaran district, on Thursday.
Condolences poured in as the news, which was 'confirmed' by State Disaster Management Department Minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav, spread like wildfire. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was at a public function at the time, observed one-minute silence and later announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones due to a bus accident in Motihari."
Only a handful of officials, including DMD principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit, maintained that that the 'toll' could not be ascertained as no bodies or human remains had been recovered.
On Friday, Yadav as well as Amrit said that investigation by forensic experts and disaster response forces have not found any human remains and it is being inferred that there were no casualties.
Another state official said, "We were informed that around 40 passengers were booked in the bus, and as only 8-9 were rescued, the others were feared dead. What we didn't know was that over 25 passengers had booked to board later from Gopalganj."
The bus driver and conductor have been booked. Officials said more details will emerge once the two are questioned as the injured passengers are giving different versions of the mishap. The bus bore a Uttar Pradesh-registered number and authorities have sought details of its owner.
VARIED VERSIONS
Officials said more details will emerge once they question the bus driver and conductor as the injured passengers are giving different versions of the mishap
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