36 dead in bus crash in Indian Himalayas

Published November 4, 2024 Updated November 4, 2024 02:12pm

A bus in India plunged into a deep Himalayan ravine on Monday, killing at least 36 passengers and injuring several others, a government official said.

Photographs released by government rescue teams showed the crumpled wreckage of the bus in thick undergrowth, with the twisted front of the vehicle squashed nearly flat.

 This handout photograph taken on November 4 Uttarakhand shows people at the site of a bus accident, after it fell into a gorge at Almora district in India’s Uttarakhand state. — Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Uttarakhand / AFP
This handout photograph taken on November 4 Uttarakhand shows people at the site of a bus accident, after it fell into a gorge at Almora district in India’s Uttarakhand state. — Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Uttarakhand / AFP

Road accidents are common along the many mountainous roads in the Himalayan region, caused mostly by poor maintenance and reckless driving in the tortuous terrain.

“So far, 36 casualties have been confirmed,” Deepak Rawat, a senior official from the northern state of Uttarakhand told reporters.

“Three critically injured have been sent to hospital using a helicopter.”

A human chain of volunteers lined the steep slopes, and across a rushing river, helping pull out the wounded from the remains of the bus.

Dead bodies were carried out and laid on the back of a truck.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his “deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the unfortunate road accident”.

Modi’s office said in a statement that the families of those killed would receive 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,380) in support, while those injured would get INR 50,000 ($595).

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he had ordered an investigation into the accident, which took place in forested hills near the town of Almora.

Hundreds of people die in road accidents in India every year.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.