47 people are reported to have died after their bus fell down a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district on Sunday morning. Three are critically injured.
The accident happened on the Pipali-Bhoan motorway in Pauri Garhwal’s Nainidanda block. The police and a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in rescue operations, reported NDTV.
The reason for the accident is still unknown.
The injured were rushed to the hospital. The number of casualties is expected to rise, said Garhwal commissioner Dilip Jawalkar. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed condolences to the family of those killed.
According to local media, the private bus was en route to Ramnagar, when it plunged into a gorge on the Pipli Bhon road in the district’s Nainidanda block at 8.45 am.
Most passengers in the bus were locals. A rescue operation is currently under way. Disaster management authorities said at least 20 bodies have already been pulled out from under the bus. Authorities have also enlisted helicopter services to take the wounded to Dehradun, reported Tribune India.
More details are awaited.