18 dead in bus accident
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government ordered a magisterial probe in the accident cause that killed 18 people and left at least another dozen injured today morning when the private bus they were travelling in lost control in the interior of Sirmaur hills and rolled more than 500 feet into the valley.
A magisterial inquiry has been instituted into the accident cause, said a government spokesman.
Sirmaur district police chief, Sumedha Diwedi over phone confirmed having recovered 18 bodies from the accident site.
There were 32 persons (35 according to unofficial sources) travelling in the private bus, which started out of Punardhar at 7 a.m., but it had barely run a few kilometers when it lost control near Bharari village in Sangrah sub-division and plunged into the valley with all the passengers on board.
The bus was on its way to Solan and a large number of passenger victims are said to be student who were on the bus, travelling to attend nearby colleges.
Villagers near the accident site were the first ones to carry out rescue and relief operations before the administration was altered and team of doctors and administrative officials arrived on the scene to provide first aid and supervise the rescue operation.
“The injured were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals at Rajgarh and Solan,” said Diwedi.
Governor Urmila Singh, Chief minister Virbhadra Singh, transport minister GS Bali and other cabinet ministers have expressed grief over the accident and condoled the victim families.
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.
