The recent bus accident in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district has claimed two more lives taking the toll 43 after rescue workers recovered another body on Wednesday.

The exact number of passengers is yet not known, therefore the search and rescue operations are still underway, said senior district official.

Bodies of 42 passengers were fished out and eight injured others were rescued from the Gogra canal at Balirghat area of the district after the bus fell into it early on Monday morning.

So far, 40 bodies have been identified and the eight injured are undergoing treatment at the Murshidabad Medical College, the official said.

But operations are quite difficult manage as it is quite dark and cold underneath the water, official said.

The state government has already handed over the compensation package of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of each of those killed and Rs one lakh for those gravely injured. Other injured would get a compensation of Rs 50,000.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered an inspection of the bridge from which the bus fell into the canal.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to ban drivers of state-run buses from using mobiles while driving, following the bus tragedy.

The decision was taken following a reported statement by a couple of passengers of the ill-fated bus who claimed that the driver was talking over his mobile phone while driving and lost control over the vehicle.

Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had rushed to the district to supervise rescue operations.

Banerjee, has also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the family of those killed in the accident, Rs 1 lakh for the critically injured and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Did speeding lead to bus mishap?

The accident occurred at Balirghat under Daulatabad police station area at 6 am. As per reports, the bus moving at a high speed and lost control, when the driver tried to avoid crashing into a truck coming from the opposite direction.
The canal is connected to the Jalangi river, a tributary of the Hooghly in Daulatabad.

While two bodies were found floating, seven injured persons were fished out from the canal, the police said. The injured were admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital.

The police had to resort to teargas to control the irked crowd, after locals torched a police vehicle and damaged a fire tender.

The locals were alleging delay in the arrival of the police and also complained that the bridge was in a dilapidated condition and necessary repairs were not made in time, according to media reports.