Himachal Bus Accident: 9 Killed, Around 40 Injured As Private Bus Falls Into 500-Foot Deep Gorge In Sirmaur | VIDEO

Nahan: Nine people died while about 40 others were injured after a private bus fell into a 500-feet deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Friday afternoon, police said.

Bus Plunges Into Gorge
The accident occurred when the bus en route from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh veered off the road and plunged into the gorge down the road and landed upside down near Haripurdhar village, around 95 kilometres from the district headquarters, Nahan.

Casualties Confirmed by Officials
Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sangrah, Sunil Kayath, who is at the spot supervising the rescue operation, told PTI that nine bus passengers have died while about 40 are injured.

Rescue Operation Underway
He said the rescue operation is going on war footing and all the injured and dead were being rushed to nearby Sangrah and Dadahu hospitals.

CM Orders Assistance
Expressing grief over the loss of lives in the accident, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a statement issued here, directed the district authorities to provide all possible assistance to the next of kin of those killed in the accident and ensure the best medical care to the injured.

Medical Teams on Alert
Industry Minister and local MLA from the Shallai assembly segment, Harshwardhan Chauhan, said the district administration has been put on alert, and medical teams and doctors at Dadahu, Sangrah and Nahan hospital are prepared for emergency.

Cause of Accident Unknown
He said the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained and expressed condolences on the incident.

Driver May Have Lost Control
Locals on the spot suspect that the bus driver might have lost control of the vehicle, following which it skidded off the road due to frost accumulation.

Locals Aid Rescue Efforts
In videos circulating on social media, a large crowd is seen helping in the rescue operations, trying to get the injured out of the wreckage of the bus.

Authorities Respond Quickly
Locals rushed for rescue and informed the police after the accident. Officials of the district administration, police and others are also at work.

Community Praised for Rescue
Balbir Chauhan, a resident of Haripurdhar and member of the BJP state working committee, said that the locals have done remarkable work in rescuing the passengers from the deep gorge in the difficult conditions.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)