At least 36 dead as overcrowded bus veers off the road into a deep gorge

A bus accident India‘s northern state Uttarakhand claimed 36 lives after a passenger bus fell into a 150 meter deep gorge.

The accident took place around 8.25 am on Monday at Marchula, about 35 km from the destination, while the bus was traveling from Pauri to Ramnagar.

Local villagers were the first responders, rescuing passengers before police and the state disaster response force arrived on the scene.

“The incident took place on Monday morning and the district administration received information about the bus falling into a 150-metre deep gorge around 8.45 am,” Vineet Pal, disaster management officer of Almora district of Uttarakhand, told reporters.

Nine of the passengers died after being taken to hospital, while three others were taken to AIIMS in Delhi for treatment.

According to the newspaper, there were more than sixty people in the overcrowded bus The Hindu.

Prime Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a swift rescue and relief operation and announced compensation of Rs400,000 (£3,600) for the families of the dead and Rs100,000 (£900) for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences and announced additional compensation of Rs200,000 (£1,800) rupees for the families of the deceased and Rs50,000 (£459) for the injured.

“My condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand. I also wish a speedy recovery for all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is involved in all possible efforts for relief and rescue,” Modi said in a post.

A magisterial investigation is underway and they say some local officials in the area have also been suspended The Indian Express.

Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the accident, but police officers indicated that overcrowding may have played a role. The Hindu Times reported.

Officials said the bus left for Ramnagar from Kainath village in Dhumakot around 6.30 am. The driver, Dinesh Singh, reportedly lost control while trying to take a turn at Kupi in Almora around 8.45am. The bus broke through the barricades, plunged 150 meters down the steep hill and crashed at the bottom of the gorge, just meters from a stream.

This crash is the deadliest in the hill state since July 2018, when 48 people were killed in Pauri Garhwal.

Some survivors of the crash reported that the bus axle collapsed under the weight of the passengers. “The axle broke and the driver lost control. I closed my eyes as the bus drove down the road. I don’t know how I got out,” said Ayush, 17, who was traveling with his family.

Police said 10 of the deceased were women and 28 people died at the scene.

“The remaining eight have died at a hospital in Ramnagar,” Almora Superintendent of Police Devendra Pincha told reporters.

“I was sleeping and woke up by a loud jolt. The bus rolled down the road and all I could hear was people screaming. Seconds later we stopped violently. The locals came to our aid. When I finally got out of the mangled bus, there were dead bodies and injured people everywhere,” said a survivor identified only by one name, Jagdeep. HT.

President Draupadi Murmu said in a message on I express my deepest condolences to the relatives and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”