36 killed as bus falls into gorge in Almora | Latest news India

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The bus, carrying people returning to work after the Diwali break, was heading from Dhumakot in Pauri Garhwal district to Ramnagar in Nainital, about 72 km away.

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Officials said the 42 seats were packed well above capacity and carried 63 people, including the driver and conductor. It was owned and operated by Garhwal Motor Owner’s Union Limited, a private travel agency based in Kotdwar of Pauri Garhwal.

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Investigators were yet to determine the cause of the accident, although police officers said overcrowding could have contributed to the crash, the worst in the hill state since July 2018, when 48 people were killed in Pauri Garhwal. Some survivors said the axle of the bus collapsed under the weight of the crowd.

“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), a student who was traveling with his family.

Police said 10 of the dead were women and 28 people died on the spot.

“The other eight succumbed at a hospital in Ramnagar,” said Devendra Pincha, senior superintendent of police, Almora.

President Droupadi Murmi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the condolences.

Meanwhile, the state government ordered a magisterial inquiry and suspended the assistant regional transport officers of Pauri and Almora.

At least 127 people have died in bus accidents in Uttarakhand since June this year, where winding, narrow roads on mountainous terrain often make transit treacherous, especially during monsoon and winter when visibility makes difficult journeys even more difficult.

Officials said the bus left for Ramnagar from Kainath village in Dhumakot around 6.30 am. The driver, Dinesh Singh, failed to negotiate a bend near Kupi, Almora around 8.45am. He burst through the barricade, rolled 200 meters down the steep hill and crashed to the bottom of the gorge, meters away from a stream.

The images showed the bus collapsed on its side. Most of the passengers were asleep and were startled awake when the bus began to slide downwards, survivors said.

“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 off the mangled bus, there were dead bodies and injured people everywhere,” said Jagdeep, 38, who works in Delhi.

The dangerous terrain made rescue operations difficult, local officials said.

State Disaster Response Force Commander Arpan Yaduvanshi said: “Retrieving the bodies was a challenge given the steepness of the gorge. The bodies were stuck in the bus. Four teams were involved in the rescue and relief operation.”

Pauri regional transport officer Dwarika Prasad said the bus had a valid fitness certificate and permit.

Pauri regional transport officer Dwarika Prasad said the bus left Kainath of Dhumakot tehsil for Ramnagar in Nainital district around 6.30 am.

“These were registered with the transport department in 2009 and were valid until 2025,” he said.

He said the department inspects buses regularly to check overcrowding.

“We regularly check for overcrowding on the buses. It seems the bus was overcrowded as many were traveling back to work after Diwali.”

Almora district disaster management officer Vineet Pal said four injured people have been airlifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh.

“It is not yet known whether the conductor is alive or dead… We have yet to determine the cause of the accident. It will be known only after an investigation,” he said.

Harsh Vardhan Rawat, secretary of Garhwal Motor Owner’s Union Limited, said, “The ‘Kamani’ (leaf suspension) of the bus broke while the bus was taking the bend and the vehicle tilted to one side and rolled into the gorge. he said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who met the injured at Ramnagar Hospital, ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident and suspended the Assistant Regional Transport Officers (ARTOs) of Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts for negligence.

“It is an unfortunate incident…I have also asked the Kumaon commissioner for a magisterial probe and suspension of the officials of the concerned department. Action will be taken against negligence. Our priority is to treat the injured for speedy recovery,” he said.

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

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

He also announced damages of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for each injured person.

Dhami also announced an ex gratia ₹4 lakh for the relatives of each deceased and ₹1 lakh each for the injured.