All of the passengers seated on a private minibus died as a result of an accident when the bus slid and rolled into a gorge 500 feet in depth. The accident occurred in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district and appears to be the second consecutive bus crash to take place within a week.
As reported by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Khajana Ram, because of the severity of the crash, the bodies have been brutally disfigured and are thus covered. The bus was scheduled to leave from Ucha Tikka and was supposed to arrive at Renuka-ji, which is famous for being home to a Hindu place of worship. The location of the accident is Jabrog Village, Sangarah subdivision, which is 70 km from Nahan, the district headquarters and 150 km from the capital of the state.
Around 19 people have been reported to have been killed instantaneously, 18 of which were male passengers. Moreover, Vikas Labroo, the Deputy Commissioner has informed the media that the government has instructed that a magisterial probe be initiated into the crash. Furthermore, a compensation of Rs.20, 000 will be provided to the families of the deceased victims of the crash.
Labroo further mentioned that the causes of the accident remain unknown. The majority of the passengers on the bus consisted of local residents and were said to have been members of close-knit groups of families. Certain officials claim that the worsened condition of the road as a result of the heavy rains could have possibly caused the accident.
Rescue Operations have been Initiated by Locals
Witnesses of the accident and the subsequent rescue operations have deduced that the crews have faced difficulties in extracting the victims from the catastrophic wreck the bus was transformed into, consequent to the accident. The rescue operations were initiated by the local residents before authorities could gain access to the accident site.
The location is supposed to be one of the most isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, with few buses transporting passengers to and from this area, thus the dearth in the means of transport leads to overcrowding in the few transport opportunities available.
Earlier this week, a similar bus crash took place in the Lahaul Spiti district, where around 10 people were killed, four of whom were females. The police claim that approximately 800 people die annually in road accidents that occur in the Himachal Pradesh. Furthermore, Urmila Singh, the Governor and Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of the district expressed sorrow at the loss of so many lives as a result of this bus accident.