A bus carrying more than 40 passengers fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi on Thursday, said police. Superintendent of Police Soumya Sambshivam said multiple passengers were injured in the incident that took place near Kharodi under the Karsog sub-division of Mandi district. The police also said that the driver and the conductor of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus were also badly injured. Just after the bus fell off the road, local administration rushed ambulances to the site and conducted an emergency rescue operation. They were also helped by locals.
People who sustained injuries have been sent to the civil hospital in the area, as reported by news agency ANI. Bystanders at the accident site said the bus rolled into the gorge and got trapped between two trees, which prevented the vehicle from falling deeper into the gorge.
Meanwhile, the condition of the driver, conductor and other passengers who were wounded in the incident is now stable, reported ANI. As of now, the main reason behind the accident is not clear and the police are currently probing the matter.
In a separate incident on May 31, two people, along with a child, died after a bus fell off the road near Chandi Chowki Haridwar. Four others were also left seriously injured, said police. The Uttarakhand Roadways bus was carrying over 41 passengers from Rupahiya to Haridwar.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident that took place on May 30, at least 10 people died and 55 people were critically injured after a bus going from Amritsar to Katra fell into a deep gorge. The injured were shifted to hospital, as reported by the news agency ANI.
"10 people died and around 55 are injured. All have been evacuated. The rescue operation is almost complete. The SDRF team is also present on the spot. The bus was carrying more passengers than the prescribed limit and will be probed during the probe," SSP Jammu, Chandan Kohli said as quoted by ANI.