12 killed in MP as speeding van hits bike, falls into well

A speeding van plunged into a well after hitting a bike in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, leaving 12 people, including the biker and a rescuer, dead, police officials said.

The accident took place at Budha-Takarwat Phante in Narayangarh police station area at around 1.15pm when 14 members of a family were going to the Antari Mata temple in Manasa area of Neemuch district after attending a wedding in Mandsaur.

Deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda, who rushed to the site, said the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and land into a well.

Prima facie, the van driver lost control of the wheel after the vehicle hit a bike and fell into the well. The bike rider was also killed, Mandsaur superintendent of police Abhishek Anand said.

“The driver of the Eco Van hit a bike rider which was coming from the front and later the driver tried to flee from the spot. The driver lost the control over van and fell into an open well, which was present 20 meters away from the main road,” Anand said.

The villagers informed the police and began rescue operations by throwing ropes into the well, the SP said, and later teams from the National Disaster Response Force joined the operations.

“The villagers rescued at least four people including a three-old girl and 10-year-old boy,” Anand said.

One of the villagers, who helped with the rescue operations, however, died due to asphyxiation after inhaling LPG gas released from the cylinder fitted in the van.

“The villager, Manohar Singh, showed immense courage and saved the lives of people. He got unconscious in the well. When he didn’t come out of the well, the villagers then stopped the rescue work, which resumed after police and SDERF teams reached the spot. We first used a compressor to evacuate the poisonous gas and later pumped out the water from the well. The rescue operation lasted for four to five hours,” Ratlam range deputy inspector general Manoj Singh said.

The bike rider, identified as Govardhan Singh, 65, also died in the accident. The four injured victims, meanwhile, are undergoing treatment at the Mandsaur district hospital. The injured were identified as Devendra Keer, 10, Mukesh Keer, 28, Maya Keer, 26 and Priyanshi 3, all are residents of Ujjain. Their conditions are stated to be stable, police said.

Chief minister Mohan Yadav has announced a compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured.

Deputy chief minister Jagdish Deoda, who is the MLA from Mandsaur, said an investigation has been initiated to find out who illegally fitted the LPG cylinder in the van, as the cause of death of most of the people was caused sue to suffocation after inhaling poisonous gas.

President Droupadi Murmu expressed regret over the accident. “The news of the death of many people in a road accident in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, is very sad. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the President said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the accident and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000.

“Saddened by the loss of lives in an accident in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” Modi said in a post on X.