Lockdown displaces lakhs of migrants

Nine migrant workers were killed and 50 others were injured as their truck collided head-on with a bus on a highway in Guna district early on May 14, said district officials.

The truck was on its way to Uttar Pradesh from Mumbai when an empty bus returning to Ahmedabad rammed it. There was no median on the highway.

Guna district Collector S. Viswanathan said, “Police and revenue teams and doctors reached the accident spot around 2.30 a.m. All the injured were immediately moved to the district hospital. There would have been more deaths if timely action was not taken... We are inquiring into the cause of the accident.”

Many of the injured were responding well to treatment, added Mr. Viswanathan. “We are inquiring into the cause of the incident,” he said.

“The two persons travelling in the bus sustained minor injuries. We are planning to refer some of the serious patients to the government hospital in Gwalior,” said P. Bunkar, Guna Chief Medical and Health Officer. Two deaths occurred during treatment. 

The Red Cross Society compensated the families of the deceased with ₹15,000 each, said Guna Public Relations Officer Ashok Dwivedi.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wrote on Twitter, “I pray that the soul of the deceased may rest in peace and their families get the strength to ensure this deep loss.”

On May 9, five migrant workers were killed and 13 persons injured after their truck overturned on a highway in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh.