NEW DELHI, 17 February, 2021, (TON): At least 46 people have been killed and several others are missing on Tuesday, February 16^th at the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Around 60 people were on board when the bus veered off a bridge and fell into the canal.

According to officials seven passengers, including the driver, managed to swim to the shore. Rescue teams are looking for the remaining passengers.

The state government has ordered an inquiry into the accident.

According to the eyewitnesses the driver of the bus lost control over his vehicle and the bus hit the boundary where it submerged completely in Sharda canal.

Authorities have stopped the water to the canal from the nearby Bansagar dam in order to help the rescue efforts.

According to officials a team of disaster response force personnel was rushed to the spot and the bus was taken out of the canal with the help of a crane.

Bus was heading to adjacent Satna district from Sidhi town when it fell into the canal.

Preliminary investigations carried out by the police revealed the 32-seater vehicle had 54 passengers inside it at the time of the accident.

The local government has ordered a probe into the accident.

According to federal Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, every day 415 people die in the country due to road accidents.

There has been an alarming increase in accidental deaths on Indian roads in traffic accidents over the years with nearly 140,000 deaths annually.

Bad condition of roads in India and reckless driving are the main cause of most road accidents.