KULLU: As many as 13 passengers, many of them school students were killed and three others were injured seriously on Monday when the private bus (HP 30A-0646) they were travelling from Sainshar to Sainj in the morning hours fell 100 m down to the hillside to the main road.
According to locals the students and women and local villagers boarded the private bus belonging to the Anjali bus service for Sainj where some tournament was going on.
The driver failed to negotiate the boulder littered turn as the link road leading to Sainshar to Sainj was narrow and in bad condition and the bus rolled down downhill for 100 m to the main road.
The villagers were agitated as there was no gas cutter to take out the dead bodies trapped or pressed under the mangled remains of the bus.
As many 12 passengers died on the spot while one succumed on way to hospital, said Banjar MLA Surender Shourie. The accident took place around 8.30 AM on Monday.
Among the dead were reported to be the school students who were going for Sainj school tournament, they said. There were 15 people travelling in the ill-fated bus, said Shourie.
The seriously injured were rushed to Kullu hospitals in ambulances where they were reported to be stable but serious.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur visited the spot and expressed grief over the tragic death of people and shared his grief with bereaved families.
Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs. 50,000 each to the injured in this tragic accident.
Chief Minister has asked the Chief Secretary to personally supervise the relief and rescue operations.
He said that magisterial enquiry has been ordered to probe the cause of the accident and ADM Kullu would probe the whole incident.
Jai Ram Thakur said that Rs 5 lakh would be provided to the next of the kin of the deceased whereas Rs. 15,000 would be provided as immediate relief to each injured person.
He said that free treatment would also be provided to the injured persons.
Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh has directed Financial Commissioner Revenue and Divisional Commissioner Mandi to immediately rush to the accident spot to supervise the rescue operations.
