14 killed, 17 hurt as bus rolls down gorge in Uttarakhand's Tehri; second such incident in state this month

An Uttarakhand Roadways bus rolled down a 250-metre deep gorge around 15 kilometre from Chamba in Tehri district early today killing fourteen persons, including two women, and injuring seventeen others, officials said.

The ill-fated bus was on way to Haridwar from Bhatwari when it met with the accident, the second such tragedy in the hill state this month.

The accident occurred near Kirgani on the Chamba-Uttarkashi highway at around 8.20am today when the bus plunged into a 250-metre deep gorge killing thirteen persons on the spot and and leaving eighteen injured, Tehri District Magistrate Sonika said.

One of the injured persons died at a hospital during treatment, she added.

There were 31 passengers, mostly locals, in the bus when the accident took place, she said.

Seventeen of the injured were under treatment at different hospitals, officials said.

Eleven people, who sustained serious injuries, were flown in choppers to AIIMS, Rishikesh, while the rest were under treatment at district hospital in Baurari and Masihi hospital, Chamba, they said.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed deep grief at the loss of lives in the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

Police and SDRF teams along with senior officials were rushed to the spot to conduct rescue operations.

Cabinet Ministers Yashpal Arya and Subodh Uniyal accompanied by Garhwal Commissioner Shailesh Bagoli and DIG Ajay Rautela also visited the spot.

Earlier, on July 1, as many as 48 people were killed near Dhumakot in neighbouring Pauri district when an overloaded bus fell into a gorge.