Almora bus accident: 36 killed as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

Rescue and relief work underway following the accident. Pic/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.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a compensation of R4 lakh for the next of those killed and a financial assistance of R1 lakh for the injured. 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 official 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.

District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey said the bus, operated by the Garhwal Motor Owner Association, was on its way from Pauri in Garhwal to Ramnagar in Kumaon about 250 km away when the accident took place around 8 am.

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, the DM said.

He said that the police and NDRF personnel rushed to the spot and launch a search and rescue operation.

Assistant Regional Transport Officers of Pauri and Almora were suspended following the accident in which a magisterial probe was also ordered.

24
No. of people injured

PM, President condole deaths

PM Narendra Modi and President Drouapdi Murmu condoled the deaths and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured. The PM also announced an ex-gratia of R2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and R50,000 for the injured. "The news of the death of many people in a road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand is heart-rending," Murmu said.

Kharge, Rahul express grief

New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi expressed grief and urged the local authorities to provide immediate compensation to the victims' families and support to the injured. They also urged local Congress workers to provide all possible help to the families of those affected. "The news of the deaths of many people in a horrific road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand, is extremely sad," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

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