A passenger bus travelling from Dwarahat to Ramnagar plunged hundreds of feet into a steep ravine in Uttarakhand’s Almora district on Tuesday morning, killing seven people.
Twelve others were critically injured in the horrific accident.
The bus, carrying 19 passengers, went out of control near Salapani in the Bhikiyainsain area. Eyewitnesses reported that the tragedy struck shortly after the vehicle passed Vinayak.
"The driver suddenly lost control near the bend at Salapani," a local resident recounted.
"It slid off the road and disappeared into the gorge within seconds. The sound was terrible."
Initial reports confirmed that six people died at the site. The death toll rose to seven later as rescue operations continued.
Relief and rescue teams, including police and local administration officials, rushed to the rugged terrain to reach the wreckage. Local villagers provided immediate assistance in the frantic search for survivors trapped inside the mangled remains of the bus.
Almora SSP Devendra Pincha confirmed the situation, stating that rescue teams have been dispatched to the spot.
The bodies of the victims who lost their lives in the tragic bus accident have been identified as Govind Ballabh (80) and his wife Parvati Devi (75), Nandan Singh (65), Tara Devi (50), Ganesh (25), Umesh (25), and Govindi Devi (58).
Bhikiyasain Sub-Divisional Magistrate Yakshi Arora and SHO Bhatrojkhan Avneesh Kumar spearheaded the on-site operation, coordinating with ambulance services to evacuate the injured. All the injured were safely transported from the accident site to nearby hospitals for medical attention.
"Many passengers were pinned beneath the twisted metal," an official stated, describing the difficult recovery process.
The injured have been admitted to Bhikiyainsain Hospital. Authorities are making arrangements to airlift the most seriously wounded passengers to higher referral centres.
The administration has initiated an immediate inquiry into the cause of the accident. Preliminary assumptions suggest that the driver might have lost control on a sharp curve, or that a technical fault could be to blame, though the exact cause awaits the official investigation report.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and assured the affected families of full government support.
This is the second major bus tragedy in the Sult area within 14 months. In November 2023, a devastating bus crash near Kupi village in the Sult tehsil claimed the lives of 36 people.