Akola: Five persons suffered minor injuries after a private bus carrying 49 persons fell off a bridge into a dry riverbed in Akola district of Maharashtra on Thursday evening, police said.

The incident occurred around 7 pm on the bridge over Bhikund river in Balapur taluka, they said.

“The private bus was going from Bhusawal (in Jalgaon district) to Washim when it fell off the bridge. A total of 49 passengers were travelling in it and five of them suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in the incident,” a police official said.

The driver lost control and the vehicle fell into the dry riverbed due to the absence of a guardrail on the bridge. Soon after being alerted, local citizens rushed to the spot. The police and other authorities carried out a rescue operation with their help, he said.

The injured passengers were later admitted to a government hospital in the district, the official said.