A privately operated bus fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora district, killing at least 36 of about 60 people on board.
Dehradun: A privately operated bus fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora district on Monday, killing at least 36 of the about 60 people on board and injuring 24.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the next of those killed in the accident and a financial assistance of Rs one lakh for the injured, according to an official statement.
Officials said the chief minister is on his way to the accident spot.
Four of the injured are serious out of which three were airlifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh and one was taken to Sushila Tiwari Hospital, Haldwani, Almora District Disaster Management Officer Vineet Pal said.
There were around 60 people on board the 43-seater bus when the accident took place, he said, adding that overloading of the vehicle could have led to the accident, he said.
District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey said the bus, operated by the Garhwal Motor Owner Association, was on its way from Pauri in Garhwal region to Ramnagar in Kumaon about 250 km away when the accident took place around 8 am. It is an overnight journey.
The 43-seater bus plunged into a 200-metre gorge and landed close to a rivulet in Almora’s Marchula area just 35 km before its destination Ramnagar, he said.
