Modi announces ex-gratia for Himachal accident victims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced ex-gratia of Rs two lakh for the next of kin of each of those killed in a bus accident in Himachal Pradesh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

"The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured in the bus accident in Himachal Pradesh from PMNRF," a PMO release said.

Forty-four people were killed when a private bus fell into a river in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district on Wednesday. Two people, including the conductor, managed to escape by jumping off the bus as it skidded off the road.

The bus, with at least 46 people on board, was on its way to Tuini from Vikasnagar town (both in Uttarakhand) via the state, when the bus skidded off the mountain road and fell into Tons river, a tributary of the Yamuna, more than 250 metres below the road.

The accident spot, 12 km from the Uttarakhand border, is near Gumma in Nerva tehsil, some 190 km from the state capital.

--IANS

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