Bus plunges into gorge in Himacahl Pradesh's Chamba region, at least 50 killed

Chamba (Himachal Pradesh), Aug.11 (ANI): A bus plunged into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba District on Saturday, killing at least 50 people.

The overcrowded bus was on its way to Chamba, when it skidded off the road and fell into the 300-feet deep gorge near Rajera.

According to media reports, 39 people died on the spot and 11 of them succumbed to their injuries on their way to hospital. The remaining passengers were injured.

Rescue operations are in full swing and the toll is likely to rise.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.

He has also directed the administrative authorities to provide relief to the victims.dministrative authorities rushed to the accident site to oversee the rescue operations.

Police officials and locals were seen rescuing trapped passengers and recovering bodies from the the gorge.

Chamba District's Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sunil Chaudhary said: "This seems to have occurred due to over crowding of the bus. There are total 41 confirmed death, 17 injured passengers have been rushed to the hospital. We are conducting post mortem on the spot and handing over the bodies to their relatives. Relief work is underway, other arrangements like four trucks of firewood is being brought for the funeral in another two hours. Also four teams of doctors are on the spot for medical assistance."

The bus was carrying locals, school children and daily wagers of nearby villages who were heading to their homes in Chamba.

Angry residents were seen confronting administrative officials over lack of state transport buses in the remote area leading to an overcrowding of private buses.

In the meantime, the local administration has called for heavy machinery, metal cutting devices and cranes to clear the debris in hope of finding more trapped passengers or bodies.

A senior police official praised locals for providing assistance in pulling trapped passengers out of the debris and aiding the administrative officials.

"We reached the spot as soon as we received the information and initiated rescue work immediately. Locals proved to be of great help as they provided us with all kinds of assistance as we undertook the rescue operations. We have recovered the dead bodies from the debris and some have been sent to the hospital," said Kuldeep Sharma, Chamba District's Superintendent of Police.

According to media reports as per eyewitnesses, the bus was over crowded and the driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp curve, leading to the occurrence of the mishap.

Road accidents are common in India, where roads are often of poor quality. Transport officials attribute a large number of accidents in India to reckless driving, untrained drivers and overcrowded buses. (ANI)