At least 36 dead as crowded bus careens off road into deep gorge
A bus accident in India 's northern state of Uttarakhand claimed 36 lives after a passenger bus fell into a 150m-deep gorge.
The accident occurred around 8.25am on Monday at Marchula, roughly 35km from destination, as the bus travelled from Pauri to Ramnagar.
Local villagers were the first responders, rescuing passengers before the police and state disaster response force arrived at the scene.
"The incident took place on Monday morning and the district administration received information about the bus falling into a 150m-deep gorge around 8.45am," Uttarakhand's Almora district disaster management officer, Vineet Pal, told reporters.
Nine of the passengers died after being taken to the hospital, while three others were airlifted to AIIMS in Delhi for treatment.
Over 60 people were travelling on the packed bus, according to The Hindu.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a swift rescue and relief operation and announced compensation of Rs400,000 (£3,600) for the families of those who died and Rs100,000 (£900) for the injured. Prime minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences and announced additional compensation of Rs200,000 (£1800) rupees for the families of the deceased and Rs50,000 (£459) for the injured.
"My condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in every possible effort for relief and rescue," Mr Modi said in a post.
A magisterial inquiry is underway, and some local officials in the area have also been suspended, according to The Indian Express.
Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the accident, but police officers indicated that overcrowding might have played a role, The Hindustan Times reported.
Officials reported that the bus departed for Ramnagar from Kainath village in Dhumakot around 6.30am. The driver, Dinesh Singh, reportedly lost control while attempting to navigate a bend near Kupi in Almora around 8.45am. The bus broke through the barricades, plunged 150m down the steep hillside, and crashed at the bottom of the gorge, just metres from a stream.
This crash is the deadliest in the hill state since July 2018, when 48 people lost their lives in Pauri Garhwal.
Some survivors of the crash reported that the bus axle gave way under the weight of the passengers. "The axle snapped and the driver lost control. I shut my eyes as the bus rolled down the road. I don't know how I managed to get out," Ayush, 17, who was travelling with his family said.
Police reported that 10 of the deceased were women, with 28 people dying at the scene.
"The remaining eight passed away at a hospital in Ramnagar," Devendra Pincha, Almora's senior superintendent of police, told reporters.
"I was asleep and was woken by a sharp jerk. The bus rolled down the road, and I could only hear people screaming. We stopped violently seconds later. Locals came to our rescue. When I finally got out of the mangled bus, there were dead bodies and injured people all around," a survivor identified only by one name, Jagdeep, was quoted as saying by HT.
President Draupadi Murmu said in a post on X: "The news of the death of many people, including women and children, in a road accident in Almora is heart-wrenching. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured."
