Daijiworld Media Network - Kota

Kota, Oct 17: At least eight people were killed and eight others injured after a mini bus carrying around 23 members of a family from Madhya Pradesh fell into a 15-foot-deep drain along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Kota district early on Saturday.

The accident occurred around 6 am near the Simliya police station limits when the vehicle veered off the road and plunged into the drain.

The family had departed from Bhopal around 7 pm on Friday and was travelling to the Khatu Shyamji temple in Rajasthan's Sikar district when the accident occurred.

Rescue operations were launched soon after the incident, but efforts were hampered by mud and accumulated water inside the drain. Emergency personnel deployed cranes to lift the damaged vehicle and rescue those trapped in the wreckage.

Confirming the casualties, Simliya Station House Officer Nand Singh told The Times of India that eight bodies had been recovered from the wreckage. He said around 23 passengers were travelling in the mini bus at the time of the accident.

The injured were rushed to New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital in Kota for treatment. Three ambulances were deployed to transport the victims, police said. Eight injured passengers have been admitted to the two hospitals.

The identities of the deceased and injured are yet to be established, and authorities are verifying details of the passengers.

With rescue operations continuing at the site, officials fear the death toll could rise as teams work to clear the wreckage and determine whether anyone else remains trapped.