Dehradun: At least 36 people died and 24 injured after a bus carrying around 60 passengers veered off the road and plunged into a 200-metre-deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora district on Monday.
"The bus, designed for 43 passengers, was carrying 60 people at the time of the accident," stated Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. He noted that overloading may have been a contributing factor to the incident. The CM also announced Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those who died in the accident and Rs 1 lakh financial assistance to those who were injured, reported PTI.
The bus was travelling from Pauri to Ramnagar when it met with an accident near Marchula. District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey confirmed the toll, adding that personnel from the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) promptly launched a search and rescue operation.
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X (formerly Twitter), “Received very sad news of casualties in the unfortunate bus accident in Marchula, Almora district. The district administration has been directed to expedite relief and rescue efforts.” He added that local administration and SDRF teams are working swiftly to evacuate the injured, with arrangements in place to airlift those in critical condition if necessary.
President Drouapdi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured. "The news of the death of many people, including women and children, in a road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand, is heart-rending. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Murmu said in a post on X.
Narendra Modi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PM's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased individual and Rs 50,000 for every injured person.