3 killed, over 12 injured as bus carrying 36 passengers plunges into Uttarakhand gorge

At least three people were killed and over 13 injured after a Himachal Roadways bus plunged into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district on Tuesday

Mussoorie: At least three people were killed and more than 12 others injured after a bus lost control and plunged into a nearly 100-metre-deep gorge near Kuanu village on Meenak Road in the Kalsi region of Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district on Tuesday.

The Himachal Roadways bus was carrying 36 passengers, including the driver and conductor, met with the accident near Chakrata

The Himachal Roadways bus carrying 36 passengers, including the driver and conductor, met with the accident near Chakrata, Dehradun district disaster management officer (DDMO) Rishabh Kumar said.

“The bus was on its scheduled route from Nerwa to Paonta Sahib when it met with the accident,” he added.

Local villagers were the first to respond and helped with the rescue operation. “Rescue teams from Dakpathar, Chakrata, Mori and Tyuni were mobilised on the directions of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi. A coordinated rescue operation was launched with police and locals,” SDRF media in-charge Vinit Devrani said.

The deceased were identified as Yasmin Begum (46), a resident of village Kyarla, Nerwa (Himachal Pradesh); Richa (30), a resident of village Bijmal, Shimla district (Himachal Pradesh); Dhan Bahadur, a resident of village Kyarla, Nerwa; and Dinesh Kumar (54), a resident of village Popat, Shimla district, who was driving the bus.

“More than 12 injured passengers, six to seven of them critically injured, have been referred to the hospital in Vikas Nagar for advanced treatment,” Devrani said.

Passengers who survived said the bus went out of control when a small vehicle attempted to overtake it on the narrow hill road.

The locals alerted the police and administration after the accident. “We heard a loud bang, and when we rushed out, we saw that the bus had fallen into the deep gorge. We immediately informed the police,” Himmat Singh Rana, a resident of Kuanu village, said.

Police officers said a case has been registered and an investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.