Eight killed, 21 injured as bus falls 100 feet off road in Himachal's Mandi; probe ordered

Mandi: A state-run bus veered off a steep mountain road and plunged 100 feet in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, killing eight people, including four women, police said on Thursday.

The accident took place around 10.30 am at Tarangla near Maseran when the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus with 29 people, including the driver and the conductor, on board was on its way to Durgapur in the district from Sarkaghat.

The state government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

Five people were declared dead at the Civil Hospital Sarkaghat, two at the Government Medical College Nerchowk and one in AIIMS Bilaspur, police said.

Seventeen injured people are under treatment at the Government Medical College Nerchowk, AIIMS Bilaspur and RKGMC Hamirpur while four are taking treatment in the Civil Hospital Sarkaghat, they added.

The accident was noticed by local residents who immediately informed the police. Mandi SP Sakshi Verma said local police and ambulance teams promptly reached the site and carried out a rescue operation, navigating the steep terrain to evacuate victims.

The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, Verma, who was at the spot, said.

Some reports said that an injured woman passenger asked a person, who helped her, to bring her bag containing Rs 1.5 lakh cash. The helper searched for the bag and handed it over to the injured woman.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri who also holds the portfolio of transport department met the injured in various hospitals and also visited the accident site.

He said that the state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident.

Agnihotri also said that a team of the technical wing of the Transport Department is working to find out the cause of the accident.

He enquired about the well-being of the injured undergoing treatment in hospitals and asked health department officials to provide the best treatment facilities to them.

The government has provided immediate relief amount of Rs 25,000 each to the families of those who died in the bus accident and Rs 5,000 each to the injured.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed grief over the incident and directed the Mandi district administration to provide ex-gratia grant to the next of kin of the deceased and best of treatment to the injured.

He also prayed to the God to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.

Meanwhile, BJP MP from Mandi Kangana Ranaut also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident. In a post on social media, she prayed to the almighty to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families.