29 killed in Meghalaya bus accident

At least 29 people were killed and nine critically injured after a bus in which they were travelling bus plunged into a 500-feet gorge in Meghalaya, police said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday night at Sonapur in East Jaintia Hills district, about 150 km from Meghalaya'a capital Shillong.

Three rescue personnel, who were putting all efforts to rescue the injured people, have also been injured as boulders rolling from the top hit them.

"We have rescued nine injured persons and managed to bring up seven bodies from the gorge," said Spill Thamar, the district police chief of East Jaintia Hills.

"We have suspended our operations due to the bad weather and treacherous terrain. We will start our rescue operations again tomorrow (Thursday) morning to retrieve all the bodies," he said.

The privately-owned bus was on its way from Silchar to Guwahati via Meghalaya.

Thamar said the injured persons, who are in a critical condition, have been shifted to the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (NEIGRIMS) in Shillong and Jowai Civil hospital in West Jaintia Hills district.

"We have not been able to ascertain the cause of the accident," Thamar said.

--IANS

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