14 killed as bus falls into gorge in Himachal's Sirmaur; PM announces ex-gratia for victims

Nahan (HP): Fourteen people have died in the bus mishap in Himachal's Sirmaur after a bus fell into a 500-foot deep gorge, police said on Friday.

The accident occurred in the afternoon, when an overloaded private bus, surpassing its seating capacity of 39, veered off the road on its way to Kupvi from Shimla, and fell into the gorge.

It landed upside down near Haripurdhar village, around 95 kilometres from the district headquarters, Nahan. Besides 14 casualties, which include eight females, about 52 people have sustained injuries as per the list released by the administration.

The deceased have been identified as Himanshi, Balbir Singh, Sanam, Vilam Singh, Promila Devi, Surat Singh, Suman, Ramesh, Kiyan, Riyanshi, Mohan Singh, Priyanka and Sakshi, while one body is yet to be identified, officials said.

Expressing grief over the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

"The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.

Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.

"An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM," PMO said in a post on X.

President Droupadi Murmu also mourned the deaths and said on X: "I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured individuals." Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a statement issued here, expressed deepest condolences and directed the district authorities to provide all possible assistance to the next of kin of those killed in the accident and ensure the best medical care to the injured.

The BJP national president and Union health Minister J P Nadda, Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Assembly Jai Ram Thakur and state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal, Shimla BJP MP Suresh Kashyap and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri have also expressed grief on the tragedy.

Industry Minister and local MLA from the Shallai assembly segment, Harshwardhan Chauhan, said the district administration has been put on alert, and medical teams and doctors at Dadahu, Sangrah and Nahan hospitals are prepared to treat the injured.

He said the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained and expressed condolences on the incident.

Locals on the spot suspect that the bus driver might have lost control of the vehicle, following which it skidded off the road due to frost accumulation.

In videos circulating on social media, a large crowd is seen helping in the rescue operations, trying to get the injured out of the wreckage of the bus. Officials of the district administration, police and others are also at work.

Balbir Chauhan, a resident of Haripurdhar and member of the BJP state working committee, said that the locals have done remarkable work in rescuing the passengers from the deep gorge in the difficult conditions.

Agnihotri and Chauhan also visited Nahan medical college to see the injured people.