NEW DELHI, Nov 4 (KUNA) -- At least 36 people were killed and 24 others were injured on Monday as a private passenger bus fell into a deep gorge in Almora district of northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
The Press Trust of India said quoting Almora District Disaster Management Officer Vineet Pal that 36 out of 60 people on board a private passenger bus were killed, while 24 others sustained injuries as the overcrowded bus on its way from Pauri in Garhwal region to Ramnagar in Kumaon met with the accident.
The 43-seater bus plunged into a 200-metre gorge and landed close to a rivulet in Almoraآ’s Marchula area just 35 km before its destination Ramnagar, it said.
Police and members of the National and State Disaster Response Forces carried out a search and rescue operation and a probe has been ordered into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of the state Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed sorrow in the loss of lives and extended financial support to the families of the deceased and injured. (end) atk.mt