3 dead, 33 injured as bus falls into gorge near HP-Uttarakhand border

Shimla: A Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus plunged into a nearly 60-metre-deep gorge in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, leaving three passengers dead and 33 others injured.The bus with 36 people, including driver and conductor, was headed from Chaupal in Shimla district to Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district via Vikasnagar.
Navigating a narrow stretch of road, the driver attempted to give way to another vehicle when the road embankment suddenly collapsed at Kwanu near Shodoi Khad, close to the Himachal–Uttarakhand border. Local residents rushed to the scene and rescued passengers trapped inside. The victims were identified as Richa (30) of Bijmal village, and Yasmin (38) and Dhan Bahadur of Kiyrla village in Nerwa tehsil. Dhan Bahadur was a native of Nepal. A total of 18 injured passengers were admitted to civil hospital in Vikasnagar; 11, including driver Dinesh, to two private hospitals in Vikasnagar, and four to civil hospital, Paonta Sahib. Emergency response teams from the district administration, HRTC, and police later reached the spot. Officials said the condition of a few injured passengers remained critical.Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and instructed officials to arrange helicopter services, if required, for the swift evacuation of critically injured passengers.Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the transport portfolio, appealed to the Uttarakhand govt to extend all possible assistance to the injured. HRTC teams from Shimla and Sirmaur districts were dispatched to the accident site, while officials including the sub-divisional magistrate, DSP, and regional transport officer from Nahan were directed to oversee relief efforts.