A crowded bus in India went off the road and fell into a deep gorge on Monday, resulting in at least 36 deaths and several injuries.
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The accident took place in the Almora district of the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. The bus, which was transporting approximately 60 passengers, resulted in over 20 injuries, according to Deepak Rawat, a senior official in the state government, per AP News.
Authorities previously stated that they believed there were 42 passengers on board, matching the bus’s full capacity.
A poorly maintained and overcrowded bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing at least 36 people and injuring several others, officials said.
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The accident occurred in Almora district in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand#news pic.twitter.com/XvoIjpMMPz
Rescue and relief teams were dispatched to the site. Officials expressed concerns that the death toll could continue to rise, particularly as seven hospitalized passengers remained in critical condition.
Harrowing Footage Shows the Mangled Bus After It Plummeted Down a Gorge
Videos circulating on social media depicted the bus, mangled and devastated, lying overturned on a rocky slope near a stream. Rescuers were observed diligently extricating passengers and transporting bodies on stretchers.
A 42 seater bus falls into gorge in Marchula area of #Almora in #Uttarakhand. Over 35 people were seated in the vehicle at the time of mishap. pic.twitter.com/8CTvP7TFmu
— kautilyasTOI (@kautilyasTOI) November 4, 2024
The state’s Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, stated that rescue teams are actively working to evacuate injured passengers to hospitals. He also noted that authorities have been instructed to airlift people who are in critical condition.
The state government has launched an investigation into the accident, according to Vineet Pal, a state official. He noted that initial reports indicated the dilapidated bus skidded before plunging down a 200-foot-deep gorge.
Several passengers either escaped or were ejected by the impact and promptly notified authorities about the accident. Two transportation officials have been suspended for approving a bus that was in substandard condition, according to Pal.
According to the AP, India faces some of the highest road fatality rates globally, with hundreds of thousands of individuals killed or injured each year. The majority of accidents are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads, and aging vehicles.
In July, a collision between a double-decker bus and a milk truck in Uttar Pradesh resulted in at least 18 deaths. Earlier, in May, a bus skidded off a mountainous highway in Kashmir, leading to at least 21 fatalities.