Close shave for 56 Gujarat tourists as tree stops bus from rolling down hill

Two passengers suffered minor injuries when tourist bus from Ahmedabad met with accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district

Fifty-six tourists from Gujarat had a narrow escape when a private bus skidded off the road and hit a tree that stopped it from rolling down the hill near Baijnath town of Kangra district on Friday morning.

The private bus ferrying tourists from Gujarat from Manali to Dharamshala met with an accident in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh on Friday morning. The bus was stopped from rolling down the hill by a tree. (HT Photo)

Two passengers suffered minor injuries, Kangra superintendent of police (SP) Khushal Chand Sharma said, adding that the tourist bus was on its way from Manali to Dharamshala when the accident occurred at 4.45am.

“There were 56 people on board. All of them are residents of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The driver lost control of the bus while negotiating a sharp bend near Avahi Nag temple, a kilometre ahead of Baijnath town,” Sharma said.

As the bus dangled dangerously, passengers screamed for help. Local residents rushed to their rescue and alerted the police. The police and fire department personnel rescued the passengers with the help of the local residents.

The place where the mishap occurred is prone to accidents.

The SP said that investigation is on but it appears the driver misjudged the turn as it was dark.