25 dead as Indian bus plunges into gorge

By Afp - June 20, 2019 @ 3:35pm

The remains of a bus carrying some 50 passengers are seen after it fell into a 150-metre gorge near Banjar, in the mountainous Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. (AFP)

SHIMLA: At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said.

The private bus was filled with more than 60 people, some of them sitting on the roof, when it plunged into a 150-metre deep gorge in Kullu district of the Himalayan state.

Kullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP that authorities launched a rescue operation immediately and moved the injured to hospitals.

She said the toll could rise further.

Local residents help accident survivors cross a river after a bus carrying some 50 passengers fell into a 150-metre gorge near Banjar. (AFP)

Local media showed the mangled remains of the bus near a stream at the bottom of the gorge as locals made human chains to help survivors cross it.

The Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and over-crowding adding to the safety hazards.

At least 15 people were killed in April after their bus fell into a gorge in a nearby district.

In India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year.

Keywords: AccidentBusIndiaHimachal PradeshGorgeKullu