Daijiworld Media Network - Sirmar
Sirmaur, Jan 10: At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 others sustained injuries after a private bus plunged into a nearly 500-feet-deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district on Friday afternoon.
The tragic incident occurred near Haripurdhar village when the bus, travelling from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh, went off the road and fell into the gorge. The accident site is around 95 km from the district headquarters in Nahan. Officials said the bus landed upside down after the fall.
According to authorities, the private bus had a seating capacity of 39 passengers and was reportedly overloaded at the time of the mishap. The exact number of passengers on board is yet to be ascertained.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced ex-gratia assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). “The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured will be provided Rs 50,000,” he said in a post on X.
Rescue operations underway
Sangrah Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sunil Kayath, who is overseeing the rescue efforts, said operations are being carried out on a war footing. He told PTI that the injured have been shifted to hospitals in Sangrah and Dadahu for treatment.
Police personnel, emergency services and district administration officials rushed to the spot soon after the accident, while local residents joined hands with rescuers to pull survivors from the wreckage. Visuals circulating on social media showed villagers helping carry injured passengers up the steep slope.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed deep sorrow over the incident and directed district authorities to extend all possible assistance to the affected families and ensure proper medical care for the injured.
Condolences were also expressed by BJP national president and Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal, Shimla MP Suresh Kashyap and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri.
Industry Minister and local MLA from the Shillai assembly segment, Harshwardhan Chauhan, said the district administration has been put on high alert. He added that medical teams at hospitals in Dadahu, Sangrah and Nahan have been instructed to remain prepared for emergencies.
The exact cause of the accident is yet to be determined. However, locals at the site suspect that frost on the road may have caused the driver to lose control, leading to the fatal plunge.