Almora:The death toll in the bus accident in Uttarakhand's Almora district has risen to 36 while several others are injured. It is being told that there were more than 50 passengers in the bus when the mishap occurred.
The reasons for the accident are being investigated by the police but some flaws have already come to the fore and it is believed that if these loopholes been plugged on time, then perhaps the accident could have been averted. ETV Bharat visited the accident site for an extensive coverage.
No parapet, crash barrier
On reaching the spot from where the bus fell into the ditch, ETV Bharat team found a steep slope and a sharp turn but no concrete arrangements were in place for ensuring road safety. Although there is a warning board at the site but neither a parapet nor a crash barrier was installed on the roadside.
It is believed that had there been a parapet or crash barrier on the roadside, the bus could have been prevented from plunging into the ditch. The bus went out of control at this sharp turn and fell straight into the 150-foot-deep ditch.
Trees could have acted as barrier
The spot where the accident occurred did not have any trees or bushes. It is felt that the bus could have been stopped from falling into the ditch had there been some trees fencing the road.
People said something crashing in the front portion of the bus was heard resulting which, it could have lost control and fallen. However, the real reason for the accident will be known only after investigations are completed. Presently, orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident have been issued.
Early this morning, a bus belonging to Garhwal Motors Owners Union Limited was heading towards Ramnagar from Golikhal area of Pauri and when it reached near Marchula in Salt tehsil of Almora, it lost control and fell into the ditch leaving 36 people dead and several others badly injured.
What eyewitnesses say
Villagers rushed to the spot as soon as they learnt about the accident and tried to rescue the trapped passengers even before the disaster management team could reach the spot. Villagers alleged that the rescue team arrived almost an hour after the mishap.
"We heard a crashing sound. When we reached here he was people crying out for help. We together pulled out many people from the bus and all were injured," said a local resident.
Echoing the same another villager said that the rescue operation gained momentum once the disaster management team arrived and the injured were rushed to the nearby hospitals.
Gopal Singh Rawat, former head of Salt, an organisation, alleged the bus was overloaded but the exact cause of the accident is not known. He said that the local residents carried out the relief and rescue operation on war-footing.
Cabinet minister, MP face protest
When the injured were brought to the government hospital in Ramnagar for treatment, several people gathered there creating a ruckus over lack of medical facilities. Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bahuguna and MP Ajay Bhatt, who reached the hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured, had to face protests from locals. People demanded better heathcare facilities at the government hospital.
Meanwhile, Lansdowne MLA Mahant Dalip Rawat said he will talk to the Chief Minister to shift the Ramnagar hospital from PPP mode so as to provide better medical facilities. Bahuguna and Bhatt assured that the government will take a concrete decision in this matter keeping in mind the interests of the public. Also, they said that negligence will be tolerated in the treatment of the injured.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami tweeted that the district administration has been asked to expedite operation. He said that the injured were taken to nearest healthcare centre for treatment
Read more
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