Bus with over 30 people falls into Himachal gorge

Shimla : A state roadways bus carrying more than 30 passengers skidded off the road and fell into a 500-foot-deep gorge Monday evening in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, an official said. Rescue operations were on while there was no information about casualties.

The 42-seater bus, ferrying passengers from Palampur to Asha Puri, a village known for a hilltop shrine, was overcrowded, one of the survivors told police.

Deputy Commissioner K.R. Bharti told IANS that since the accident spot is treacherous and thickly forested, the army has been called in from Palampur.

“A joint rescue operation by police and the army is on,” he said.

He said most of the victims belonged to closely-knit families of the district.

Fifty-two people were killed and 46 others injured Aug 11 when an overcrowded private bus rolled into a 300-feet deep gorge in Chamba district in the state.