BHOPAL, Feb 16: Forty seven passengers, including 20 women. were drowned when a bus fell off a bridge into a canal near Patna village in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district on Tuesday morning. The bus carrying 54 passengers fell into the canal after the driver lost control of the vehicle. The accident occurred 560 km from State Capital Bhopal at 7:30 am.

The private bus was going from Sidhi to Satna when it fell into the Sharda canal. Eye witnesses said that the bus got immersed completely in the water and was not visible. Seven passengers swam to safety while others were trapped inside the ill-fated bus. Cranes were requisitioned to pull out the bus.

Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) conducted rescue operations for several hours.

The Centre announced a relief of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those who drowned and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

"What has happened is extremely tragic. Families of those who have died will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. The entire State is standing with those affected," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a video message.

In view of the tragedy, the State Government cancelled a function to hand over one lakh houses constructed in the State under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), which was to be virtually attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.