Tragic Himalayan bus plunge claims 36 lives
Senior state official Deepak Rawat confirmed the death toll and reported that three critically injured passengers were airlifted to hospital via helicopter.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – At least 36 passengers lost their lives on Monday, according to Agence France-Presse, when a bus plummeted into a deep Himalayan ravine in India's northern state of Uttarakhand, with several others sustaining injuries in the devastating accident.
Government rescue teams released harrowing images showing the bus's mangled wreckage amid dense undergrowth, with the vehicle's front end severely compressed from the impact.
The rescue operation involved local volunteers forming a human chain along the steep mountainside and across a rushing river to assist in extracting survivors from the wreckage. The deceased were transported from the scene in trucks.
Senior state official Deepak Rawat confirmed the death toll and reported that three critically injured passengers were airlifted to hospital via helicopter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced financial compensation packages. The victims' families will receive 200,000 rupees ($2,380), while injured survivors will be granted 50,000 rupees ($595).
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident, which occurred in the forested hills near Almora town.
The accident highlights the ongoing safety concerns along the region's mountain roads, where accidents frequently occur due to poor maintenance and hazardous driving conditions in the challenging Himalayan terrain.
India continues to grapple with a high rate of road fatalities, with hundreds of deaths recorded annually on its roadways.