Shimla: Passengers of an early morning coach had a miraculous escape after the vehicle developed a mechanical breakdown, forcing an alert driver to bang the high speed downhill moving bus into the hill side, causing it to overturn onto the road close to the police headquarters.
There were about 40 passengers in the bus when the accident took place, said RM Sharma, the district police chief. “Mercifully none was seriously injured,†he said adding that 25 passengers who received minor injuries were treated at IGMC hospital.
The 42 seater private bus (HP-07-9376) starting out from Kasumpati was packed to near capacity and had only travelled a few kilometres before daylight, when it developed a mechanical snag, eyewitnesses said.
Sharma has also ruled out a driving error saying that one of the basement supporting metal belts of the vehicle broke before the driver hit the vehicle into the hill side to avert a tragedy.
The was scheduled to reach the local bus stand before departing for its destination Bathlighat-Shillai in Sirmaur district.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
