Six dead, 40 injured as bus hits tree in Chhattisgarh; CM announces compensation
Six people, including four women, were killed and 40 others injured after a bus rammed into a roadside tree in Chhattisgarh’s Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB) district on Thursday (October 22, 2026), police said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the accident and announced a financial assistance of ₹5,000 to each kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 to each injured person.
The accident took place shortly after noon near the Semarthani junction when the 46-passenger bus was heading from Manendragarh towards Kelhari village, Superintendent of Police Ratna Singh said.
Prima facie, it appears that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into a roadside tree, she said citing the report of the injured passenger.
“Six people, including four women, died in the accident, about 20 others, including the driver, were seriously injured. Another twenty passengers suffered minor injuries,” said the SP.
Two of the critically injured were taken to Ambikapur hospital, Surguja district headquarters, and two others to Chirmiri district hospital, she said.
The rest are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Manendragarh, Ms. Singh added.
An FIR will be lodged in connection with the accident and action will be taken against those found guilty after investigation, she informed.
In a post on X CM Sai said, “The untimely death of 6 people in the horrific bus accident on the Manendragarh-Kelhari road is deeply distressing. My sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this heartbreaking incident.”
The state government will provide financial assistance of ₹5,000 each to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to each of the injured, he said.
The injured are currently undergoing treatment at the Manendragarh Civil Hospital and the Chirmiri District Hospital, while the two passengers who sustained serious injuries have been referred to Ambikapur for better medical treatment, he said.
Mr Sai said he had directed the district administration to make all necessary arrangements for the treatment of the injured.
Published – 22 Oct 2026 19:54 IST