To begin with, twelve passengers were killed after a bus fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu this morning. Visuals showed the heavily damaged vehicle. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the bus, headed to Sainj, fell into the gorge near Jangla village around 8.30 am. District officials and rescue teams have reached the spot, he said, adding that the injured were being rushed to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s office has tweeted that the families of those killed in the accident would receive a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each. “The Prime Minister has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the tragic bus accident in Himachal Pradesh. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000 each,” it retorted.
Relief to be given to the families of those affected in the bus accident
Moreover, the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has also expressed grief over the tragic accident. Chief Minister Thakur has asked the Chief Secretary to personally supervise the relief and rescue operations, his office said. He said that a magisterial enquiry has been ordered to probe the cause of the accident.
The bus plunged into a 200-metre gorge in the tragic bus accident
Subsequently, the bus was trying to overtake some boulders which were on road due to rains last night. It went out of control and fell into the cliff. Impact of the fall was big as cliff was too steep,” news agency ANI quoted the chief minister. The chief minister announced a compensation of five lakh rupees to the families of the deceased. “Those injured will be given the best treatment,” he retorted.
In conclusion, the bus, which was transporting over 40 passengers, was on its way from Shanshar to Sainj and plunged into a 200-metre gorge at 8.45 am on Monday. Gopal, the bus conductor said that the bus skid on soil and people did not get a chance to save themselves as the accident happened very quickly. Chief Minister Thakur said that Rs 5 lakh would be provided to families of each person killed in the accident. The injured would get an immediate assistance of Rs 15,000 and they would be treated for free.