Nineteen people were killed when a bus carrying about fifty people skidded off a mountain road and fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday.
Shimla, May 2 : Nineteen people were killed when a bus carrying about fifty people skidded off a mountain road and fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday.
The accident took place at Kotkhai, some 55 km northeast of Shimla.
Chief Minister Veer Bhadra Singh visited the injured in hospital and expressed grief at the accident.
"It is a major accident. I am very worried that such a thing took place. There will be magisterial inquiry into this. But we have to first give treatment to the injured," he said.
Police said the overcrowded bus rolled off the mountain and plunged nearly 30 metres into a stream. Rescuers pulled the injured passengers from the mangled bus.
Locals and social activists have joined hands to help the victims.
"We have got 20-25 people here to Shimla for treatment. Many have been given first aid at the site itself. Locals helped the injured. Within half an hour all the people were rescued," said O.P.Chauhan, a social worker and an eyewitness.
The frightened passengers are trying to come out of the shock.
"We did not get to know what happened. Suddenly, the bus started falling. I was awake but could not move, as it was so sudden. I was just worried about my children who were injured," said Anita Devi, an injured being treated in a hospital in Shimla.
ANI