Uttarakhand: Bus falls into 100-metre ditch in Bhimtal; 4 dead, 21 injured
According to the officials, the bus belongs to Roadways and was going from Bhimtal to Haldwani with 20-25 people travelling on it
Four people died and 21 were injured after a roadways bus fell into a 100-metre deep ditch in Bhimtal area of Uttarakhand's Nainital district on Wednesday.
“A roadways bus was heading from Pithoragarh to Haldwani. The driver lost control of the bus and it fell into a deep gorge...The injured have been rescued with the help of locals. 21 people have been injured and 4 people have died,” Dr Jagdish Chandra, superintendent of police, Nainital, told ANI.
Video shared by news agency ANI showed State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) personnel carrying out rescue operations at the accident site.
According to the officials, the bus belongs to Roadways and was going from Bhimtal to Haldwani with 20-25 people travelling on it.
"Today, on 25 December 2024, information was received from the District Control Room, Nainital that a roadways bus has crashed near Bhimtal, on which the rescue teams of SDRF have left for the spot from Post Nainital and Khairna," SSP Nainital Prahlad Meena said.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami posted on X,"The news of the death of 4 people in the unfortunate bus accident near Bhimtal is extremely heart-rending...The seriously injured people are being treated at Sushila Tiwari Government Hospital, Haldwani, and a team of doctors from AIIMS Rishikesh has also been sent to Haldwani. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of all the injured."
5 Army soldiers killed as Army vehicle falls into gorge in J&K's Poonch
The accident in Bhimtal happened a day after an Army vehicle fell into a gorge in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, killing five soldiers.
A defence spokesperson said the cause of the accident is being ascertained but "possibly, the driver lost control at the turn of the road". The accident occurred in the Gharoa area when a convoy of six vehicles was en route from Nilam Headquarters to Balnoi Ghora Post.
The officials quoted above said rescue teams have recovered five bodies from the gorge which is 300-350 feet deep.
J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed his deep sorrow and over the incident near the forward post along the Line of Control (LoC). He extended deepest sympathies to the bereaved families of the soldiers, a spokesman said.
The Army, meanwhile, ruled out terrorism angle in the incident. "A terrorist Initiated Incident positively ruled out after confirming from ground sources. Own post approximately 130 m from the incident site and backup vehicle was barely 40 meters away," he said.
The Northern Command, also called the Dhruva Command, said Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar and all ranks extend their deepest condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers.
"Dhruva Command stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief", the command said on X.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)
