Kohima, Feb 1 (IANS) Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the five persons who lost their lives, and financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured in a tragic bus accident in Kohima district.

An official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the Chief Minister also conveyed his wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Rio expressed profound sorrow over the incident and extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased.

The accident occurred late Saturday night between 10 Mile and Peducha in Kohima district. All the deceased and injured were members of the Chümoukedima Ao Baptist Church, the Chief Minister said.

According to police, five women were killed, and more than ten others were injured when the bus they were travelling in rolled off the road near Dzudza Bridge under the jurisdiction of Tsiesema Village in Kohima district.

The bus, carrying over 40 members of the Chumoukedima Ao Baptist Church, was returning from a revival programme in Mokokchung when it reportedly suffered a mechanical failure, police said.

The injured were rushed to the Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR), Dimapur, for treatment, where the condition of some of them was stated to be serious.

An excavator was requisitioned to retrieve the bodies of the deceased, which were trapped beneath the overturned bus.

Volunteers of the Northern Angami Youth Organisation (NAYO), led by its president, along with police and district administration officials, reached the accident site to provide assistance and assess the situation.

Youths from NAYO and Tsiesema Village also donated shawls to drape the bodies of the deceased.

The deceased were identified as A. Amongla (76), Imtimenla (58), Asangla Pongen (52), Bendangla Jamir (52) and the youngest victim, Yangerinla (35). A mass funeral service for the five victims was held on Sunday at the premises of Chümoukedima Ao Baptist Arogo.

–IANS

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