Shimla, June 15
In two bus accidents in Himachal Pradesh today, 25 persons were feared killed in Kinnaur district and 16 died in Mandi district.
As many as 25 persons were feared to have been washed away when a private bus (HP 25-0676) fell into the Sutlej near Ralli in the tribal Kinnaur district this afternoon.
While there was no official confirmation of the death toll, unofficial reports said there were about 30 passengers on board the ill-fated bus, which was on its way from Spillow to Rampur when the mishap took place. The bus went off the road and plunged into the river. Three passengers, who were thrown out as the bus rolled down 100 ft, were seriously injured. They have been identified as Kamala, who is employed at Bhabhanagar, her daughter Meena and Jeewan Lal of Kilwa village.
The driver and the conductor were among those missing.
Rescue operations were on and three bodies had been fished out of the fast-flowing river till the evening. The bus was submerged in the river and only a part of its rear portion was visible. The injured were shifted to the district hospital at Rekong Peo.
The Deputy Commissioner rushed to the site along with a medical team and a police party to supervise the relief and rescue operations. Mr Gianeshwar Singh, the Superintendent of Police, said 20 or 25 passengers could have been on the bus. The exact figure could not be ascertained immediately as the three injured persons were not in a position to talk. Only those who disembarked from the vehicle at the previous stop could provide a figure.
He said a party comprising 25 policemen had reached the spot along with other rescue workers. Jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Army and the GREF and staff of JP Industries were involved in the rescue operations along with local villagers.
In the second accident, 16 persons, including six women, one girl and two police personnel, were killed and 12 seriously injured when an HRTC bus (HP-31-1542) going to (Baili) Karsog from Sundernagar fell into gorge at a point 1 km short of Jachh in Karsog sub-division of Mandi district. The place is about 90 km from Mandi.
According to police sources at Pangna, 11 persons died on the spot while five succumbed to injuries at the Pangna hospital. Police teams from Pangna and Karsog along with doctors rushed to the site of the accident. District officers from Mandi also reached the spot.
The 12 seriously injured persons have been referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, Shimla, and one person has been taken to Regional Hospital Mandi.
The dead have not been
identified so far while the injured, all from the adjoining areas of Karsog valley, have been identified as Bodh Raj, Rup Lal, Prem Lal, Khajan Singh, Rattani Devi, Jaspal, Ganga, Dharam Dass, Kali Devi, Pitambar (driver), Gulzari Lal, Shyam Thakur (conductor), Chint Ram, Kanika, Diwan Chand, Bimla, Ravi Kumar, Khimi Devi, Harinder, Mani Shankar and Katasnu Devi.
Governor V.S. Kokje and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed grief over the mishap.
The state Cabinet also expressed sorrow over the two major accidents.
