At least 15 persons were killed and over 12 others were injured after a bus fell into a deep pit in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district on Tuesday, PTI reported quoting the police.

Durg’s Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla said that the accident took place at around 8.30 pm near Khapri village under the Kumhari police station limits when more than 30 employees of a private distillery were returning home after work in the bus.

The bus skidded off the road and plunged into the 40-foot-deep murum soil mine, Shukla said. Murum is a type of soil that is mainly used for construction.

A rescue operation was launched by the police, City Superintendent of Police (Chhavni area) Harish Patil said. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital.

“Initially, 11 deaths were reported in the accident,” PTI quoted Shukla as saying. “Later, four more persons died in the hospital.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of those who died in the accident and said that the local administration was engaged in helping the injured.

“My condolences to those who lost their loved ones in this,” Modi said in a social media post. “Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way.”

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also expressed his grief over the incident. “I pray that departed souls rest in peace and may God give strength to the bereaved family members,” Sai said in a social media post.

“Adequate arrangements have been made for the treatment of the employees injured in the accident,” he added. “I wish them a speedy recovery.”