Woman killed, 54 injured as bus with pilgrims overturns in Madhya Pradesh

A woman was killed and more than 54 people were injured after a bus of pilgrims overturned in Madhya Pradesh’s Bargain district on Friday (October 31, 2025), police said. 

According to the police, the incident took place around 9 a.m. in Baigaur village near Khetia town after the speeding bus overturned, skidded on the road and hit a divider. 

Barwani Superintendent of Police (SP) Jagdish Dawar told The Hindu that the deceased was identified as Suman Bai, 62, a resident of neighbouring Dhar district. 

Mr. Dawar said that about 35 people have been sent to the district hospital for treatment and two have been referred to Indore in critical condition. “Remaining passengers who suffered minor injuries received treatment at the Community Health Centre in Khetia,” he said. 

The SP said that it was a privately hired bus that was coming from Betma in Indore and travelling to Prakasha in Maharashtra.

“The pilgrims were doing Narmada river parikrama and most of them hail from Indore while others from nearby districts,” he added. 

Mr. Dawar said that a rescue operation was launched by the local police, State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) and locals to bring out the stranded passengers.

“Two people were stuck under the bus. Later, with the help of two cranes and a bulldozer machine, they were rescued safely,” he added. 

The SP said that while the bus driver fled the spot, an investigation has been launched into the incident to verify bus documents, permissions and capacity.