Two people have died and several others are injured after an overloaded bus carrying migrant workers crashed while travelling along Gwalior Highway in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.
Speaking to Sputnik, a senior police official requesting anonymity said that the bus was heading to Chhatarpur and Tikamgarh from Delhi and overturned in the Jorasi district of Gwalior.
"The bus was overcrowded as it was carrying around 90 passengers in a 52-seater bus. The rescue operation is still underway," he said, adding that the injured had been rushed to hospital.
Two killed and many injured when a bus filled with #Migrants overturned in Gwalior.
— 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧 (@suchisoundlover) April 20, 2021
Bus was enroute to Tikamgarh from Delhi.#DelhiLockdown pic.twitter.com/hE97MEdE9J
He said that several of the injured are in a critical condition. The bus was reportedly overloaded with luggage, which is one possible reason it tipped over.
The accident comes as thousands of migrant workers from several Indian states are heading back home after lockdown measures have been implemented in many Indian cities to curb the spread of COVID.