The bus was on its way to Delhi from Bihar's Muzaffarpur, when it fell into a pit and caught fire
The district administration of Motihari said today that not a single body was found in a bus that fell into a ditch and caught fire in the Bihar district. It said that besides eight people who were admitted to a hospital, five or seven people may have escaped from the accident site.
The DMs of Motihari and Muzaffarpur are trying to get in touch with all the passengers through phone to know what happened at the accident site, the officials said.
The bus fell into a ditch and caught fire after the driver lost control over the vehicle in East Champaran district, the police said. The accident happened under Kotwa police station area, over 75 kilometres from state capital Patna. The bus was on its way to Delhi from Muzaffarpur.
Eyewitnesses said 13 passengers, the driver and a cleaner were in the bus at the time of the accident. Eight passengers survived the accident and are admitted to local hospitals. Early reports indicated that five-six people might have been killed. But now the administration is saying not a single person died in the accident.
Expressing anguish at the accident, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had promised help to the families of people who died in the accident. "It is a really painful incident. Local administration officials are present at the spot. We will extend all possible help to the families of those who died," he said.
The disaster management minister of the state, Dinesh Chandra Yadav, said that the bus fell into a roadside pit and caught fire.
With inputs from agencies