Eight killed, several injured as bus plunges into deep gorge in Himachal

Shimla: At least eight people were killed and several others were injured when a private bus skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in a remote mountainous area on Friday in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, the police said.

The death toll is likely to rise as over 50 people were onboard when the accident occurred near Haripurdhar.

“The cause of the accident is not yet clear,” said a police official. The bus was travelling from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh. A majority of the injured were locals and were taken to the nearby government hospital in Haripurdhar.

Witnesses told police that the bus driver probably lost control over the vehicle when it was descending a steep gradient.

The administration had a tough time extricating the victims from the badly mangled vehicle. People in the area began rescue operations even before authorities reached the spot.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over loss of lives. He directed the district authorities to provide all possible assistance to the next of kin of the deceased and ensure the best medical care to the injured and wished their speedy recovery.

He prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss. Sharing condolences, former Union minister Anurag Thakur wrote on X, “The tragic demise of individuals and injuries to several passengers in a private bus is extremely distressing news.”

“My heartfelt condolences are with the families of the deceased who lost their lives in this accident. I pray for the swift recovery of those injured in the accident. May the God provide strength to the families of the accident victims and grant eternal peace to the departed souls,” he added.

IANS