A bus fell into a deep gorge in Almora of Uttarakhand left 36 people dead and 27 injured.
Kolkata: On Monday, a crowded bus full of people heading back to work after Diwali plunged down a deep gorge in the Almora district of Uttarakhand, killing at least 36 of the roughly 60 people on board. This unfortunate incident happened around 8 a.m.
The 43-seater bus, operated by the private Garhwal Motor Owner Association, was on its way from Pauri in Garhwal region to Ramnagar in Nainital, roughly 72 km away. The accident took place around 8 am, almost the fag end of the overnight journey, said District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey.
Police said that 28 people died on the spot. Among the dead persons10 of the deceased were women.
“The other eight succumbed at a hospital in Ramnagar,” said Almora senior superintendent of police Devendra Pincha.
The scene is still vivid in the memories of witnesses in Almora, Uttarakhand. There was a sound, and he noticed a bus descending the slope. It was open, and many passengers fell through it. A few individuals are attempting to shut the window. Consequently, he lost his grip on the road and plunged into the ravine. It plunged into a 200-meter-deep ravine. Slowly, the cries became moans and screams. Thirty-six people have perished so far. There were too many people on the bus.
“The bus was not kept in good condition; that’s why the brake failed,” said the police.
Officials said the 42-seater was packed well beyond capacity and carrying 63 people, including the driver and the conductor.
Dwarika Prasad, Regional Transport Officer, Pauri, said the bus left Kainath of Dhumakot tehsil at around 6:30 am for Ramnagar in Nainital district.” These were registered with the transport department in 2009 and were valid till 2025”, he said.
He said “We conduct regular checks against overcrowding in the buses. It appears the bus was overcrowded as many were travelling back to their work after Diwali.”
The reason of the catastrophe, which was the deadliest in the hill state since Pauri Garhwal in July 2018, has not yet been determined by investigators, however police officers claimed that congestion may have played a role. According to some survivors, the bus’s axle gave way beneath the weight of the passengers.
“The axle snapped and the driver lost control. I shut my eyes as the bus rolled down the road. I don’t know how I managed to get out,” said Ayush (17), a college student who was travelling with his family.
Officials said “The bus set off for Ramnagar from Kainath village in Dhumakot around 6.30am. The driver, Dinesh Singh, failed to negotiate a bend near Kupi, Almora around 8.45am. It barrelled through the barricading, rolled 200m off the steep hill and smashed into the bottom of the gorge, metres away from a stream.”
“I was asleep and was woken by a sharp jerk. The bus rolled down the road, and I could only hear people screaming. We stopped violently seconds later. Locals came to our rescue. When I finally got out of the mangled bus, there were dead bodies and injured people all around,” said Jagdeep, 38, who works in Delhi.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took to X to express grief at the loss of lives in the accident. “Received the very sad news about the casualties of passengers in the unfortunate bus accident that took place in Marchula of Almora district. The district administration has been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations swiftly.”
“The local administration and SDRF teams at the accident site are working rapidly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health centre for treatment. Instructions have also been given to airlift seriously injured passengers if required,” Dhami wrote.
State disaster response force commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said, “Bringing the bodies up was a challenge given how steep the gorge is. The bodies were stuck inside the bus. Four teams were involved in the rescue and relief operation.”
Meanwhile, the state government ordered a magisterial probe and suspended the assistant regional transport officers of Pauri and Almora.
Harsh Vardhan Rawat, secretary, Garhwal Motor Owner’s Union Limited, said “The ‘Kamani’ (leaf spring suspension) of the bus broke while the bus was negotiating the road bend, and the vehicle tilted on one side and rolled down into the gorge,” he said.
At least 127 people have died in bus accidents since June this year in Uttarakhand, where snaking, narrow roads on mountainous terrain often make transit treacherous, especially during the monsoon and winter, when the visibility makes difficult journeys even tougher.
President Murmu, in a post on X, said, “The news of the death of many people, including women and children, in a road accident in Almora is heart-wrenching. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”
Prime Minister Modi, said, “My condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand. I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is making every possible effort for relief and rescue.”
