CHANDIGARH: At least 28 people were killed and nine others were injured after a private bus fell into a gorge near Khaneri in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh.
The bus, which was going from Reckongpeo in Kinnaur to Nauni in Solan, was carrying 35 passengers. Of the 28 killed, 18 were men, nine were women and there was one child. While the four passengers who were seriously injured have been referred to IGMC Shimla, four other passengers were undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital in Khaneri.
An immediate relief of Rs 10,000 has been given to the next of kin of the deceased. As per preliminary investigation, a tyre burst led to the accident. The state government ordered a magisterial inquiry. Shimla deputy commissioner of police, Rohan Chand Thakur, confirmed the incident. He said a rescue team, led by sub divisional magistrate of Rampur, were on the spot and carrying rescue work. At the time of filing this report, bodies were being taken out of the ill-fated bus.