Patna, April 11 (IANS) After the fatal road accident in Bihar’s Katihar district claimed 10 lives and injured 25 others on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep condolences and grief over it.

In a written statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Modi said, “The mishap in Bihar’s Katihar is extremely painful. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”

Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and termed the incident extremely tragic.

He announced Rs 2 lakh as ex-gratia for the families of each deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 assistance for each injured person.

The Chief Minister also directed officials to ensure proper and timely medical treatment for the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.

Following CM Nitish Kumar’s orders, senior administrative officials reached the site and are overseeing relief and rescue operations.

The accident occurred near Basgada Chowk under the jurisdiction of Korha Police Station on National Highway-31, where a bus and a pickup vehicle collided head-on, leading to heavy casualties.

Eyewitnesses said that the bus, reportedly at high speed, collided head-on with the pickup van.

The impact was so intense that both vehicles were reduced to mangled wreckage.

With the help of locals and police, the injured were rushed to nearby health facilities, including the Katihar Sadar Hospital.

Hospital authorities have been placed on high alert, and treatment is being carried out on a priority basis.

Some of the injured remain in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could rise further.

The tragic incident has cast a pall of mourning over the region, once again highlighting the urgent need for stricter road safety enforcement to prevent such loss of lives.

–IANS

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