Uttarakhand: At least 36 die after bus falls into gorge in Almora
The 43-seater bus had 60 passengers on board, a district disaster management official said.
At least 36 passengers were killed and 24 were injured on Monday in Uttarakhand’s Almora district when a bus went out of control and fell into a gorge, The Indian Express reported.
The bus was travelling from the town of Pauri in the Garhwal region to Ramnagar in the Kumaon region. Around 8 am, the vehicle fell into a 200-metre gorge in Almora’s Marchula area.
Almora District Disaster Management Officer Vineet Pal said that the 43-seater bus had 60 passengers on board, according to PTI.
Four of the injured passengers were in a serious condition, the official added. Three of them were taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, while one was taken to the Sushila Tiwari Hospital, Haldwani.
A magisterial investigation has been ordered into the accident, and Assistant Regional Transport Officers of Pauri and Almora have been suspended.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that local authorities, along with the State Disaster Response Force, were carrying out rescue operations. Those who were grievously injured have been airlifted to Rishikesh and Haldwani, he added.
Dhami announced that the families of those who died will be given Rs 4 lakh each, while those injured will be given Rs 1 lakh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced that Rs 2 lakh each will given to the kin of those who died from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The injured passengers will be given Rs 50,000 each, he further said.