Bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand, death toll rises to 36
CM announces Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia
Dehradun (PTI): 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.
Police and personnel of the National and State Disaster Response Forces rushed to the spot to launch a search and rescue operation, he added.
Assistant Regional Transport Officers of Pauri and Almora were suspended following the accident in which a magisterial probe has been ordered.
Visuals from the area pointed to the magnitude of the accident, the vehicle reduced to a mangled mess as it rolled down the forested, rocky slope and stopped just short of a stream. Rescuers could be seen working to pull out the passengers.
Pal said 36 people were killed in the accident and 24 injured.
The Garhwal Motor Owners Association bus was carrying people returning after spending the long weekend at home to work.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the loss of lives in the bus accident.
"The bus accident in Almora, Uttarakhand is extremely sad. I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident. The local administration is providing immediate treatment to the injured. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured," Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi.
Expressing grief over the incident, Chief Minister Dhami said on X, "Received very sad news of casualties of passengers in the unfortunate bus accident that took place in Marchula of Almora district. The district administration has been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations swiftly."
"The local administration and SDRF teams are working swiftly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health centre for treatment. Instructions have also been given to airlift the seriously injured passengers, if required," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
