Uttarakhand Bus Falls into Gorge -15 Killed,14 injured

A fatal accident has occurred this afternoon in Uttarakhand. At least Fifteen people were killed and 25 others injured when a bus in which they were travelling from Pithoragarh to Delhi, skidded off the road and rolled down into the deep gorge at Dhyari, nearly 65 kms from Almora. The toll may go up as the condition of 8 of the injured was stated to be critical. It seems the driver tried to overtake an auto-rickshaw which resulted in the mishap.

“The Uttarakhand Roadways bus, carrying about 40 passengers, fell into a 100-ft deep gorge at Dhyari, nearly 65 kms from Almora, killing 15 persons on the spot. The accident occured aroung 1 PM”, Kumaon DIG Pushkar Sailal said.

Twenty-five persons, who sustained injuries in the accident, have been rushed to hospital. The bodies are still being extricated from the bus and rescue operations are on, Pushkar said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Harish Rawat expressed grief over the incident. Rawat announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of those killed, Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured and Rs 20,000 for those who sustained minor injuries.