Shimla: A 52 seater private bus of Guru Kripa Roadways registered at Barnala, Punjab (PB 19 3085) met with an accident on the Kullu – Mankaran road today evening (about 4 p.m.)and fell into River Parvati, leaving as many 31 passengers dead or washed away by the rivers fast flowing waters.
Rakesh Kanwar, district magistrate of Kullu from the accident site over phone told Hill Post that 21 passengers had been rescued from the accident site.
“We have rescued 21 passengers, who are injured and have been admitted to hospital. Of the injured 4 are in serious condition and are being shifted to PGI Chandigarh,” said Kanwar.
Six dead bodies from the accident site had been retrieved. Twenty five are feared dead or washed away as darkness engulfed the valley, hindering visibility and rescue operations.
Kanwar added that according to Raj Kumar, conductor of the bus, there were 52 passengers in the bus, which included about 16 women and 6 children.
Kanwar is supervising the relief and rescue operations at the accident site
The river is in spate as the region has received a lot of monsoonal rain over the past weeks.
The bus was carrying tourists. Cause of the accident could not be ascertained as to whether it was an driving error, mechanical failure or landslide ridden bad road conditions.
There is a historic Gurudwara Sikh Temple at Manikaran in Parvati valley of Kullu. Many tourists and pilgrims from Punjab regularly visit Manikaran.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
