Eight killed as bus falls into gorge near Shimla

Shimla: A bus travelling from Shimla to Tikkar in Himachal Pradesh today fell into a 500-ft gorge when the driver lost control while negotiating a steep turn, killing eight passengers, including three women, police said. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus was carrying 30 passengers when the accident took place at Chhaila, 45 km from here.

While five people died on the spot, three succumbed to their injuries at Shimla’s Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) where they were taken for treatment. The driver of the bus was killed in the accident as well.

The other passengers who were injured were taken to a hospital in Theog, about 30 km from here. The local administration extricated the bodies of the victims from the wreckage of the bus with the help of locals. The death toll could rise further as the condition of three of the injured is serious, an official said.

Stressing that the exact cause of the accident was not known yet, the authorities hinted that the driver, while negotiating a curve lost control of the vehicle. A case has been registered by the police. The deceased were identified as Rajeev, driver of the bus, Mahinder Chauhan, Sunil Sharma, Tula Ram, Rohini, Motu, Satya and Sukh Ram.

Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Transport minister Gobind Singh Thakur, Education minister Suresh Bharadwaj and former minister and local MLA from Jubbal-Kotkhai Narinder Bragata expressed shock and grief over the accident and sent their condolences to the bereaved families.