36 Dead As Bus Falls Into Gorge In Uttarakhand's Almora; CM Suspends ARTO, Orders Probe

The bus was going from Garhwal to Kumaon when the accident took place at Marchula in Almora.

Almora:At least 36 people were killed and several others were injured after a bus met with an accident in Almora district of Uttarakhand on Monday. As per officials, the bus with over 50 passengers aboard went out of control near Kupi village in Marchula and fell into a deep gorge at around 8:30 am.

The bus said to be of Garhwal Motor Owners Union Limited was going from Garhwal to Kumaon when the accident took place at Marchula in Almora, District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey said. Almora District Disaster Management Officer Vineet Pal confirmed the death of 28 people in the mishap.

Sources, however, told ETV Bharat that at least 36 people were killed in the accident and the toll may go up further since several passengers were critically injured as the bus fell into a 200-metre-deep gorge. Police and SDRF personnel along with locals led the search and rescue operation which was completed at around 1 pm.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident. "Received very sad news of casualties of passengers in the unfortunate bus accident that took place in Marchula of Almora district. The district administration has been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations swiftly," he said on X.

"The local administration and SDRF teams are working swiftly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health centre for treatment. Instructions have also been given to airlift the seriously injured passengers if required," he said.

In a separate post, he announced a relief amount of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured. The CM also directed Commissioner Kumaon Division to investigate the incident.

CM orders to suspend ARTO

CM Dhami spoke to Secretary Disaster Management, Commissioner Kumaon Division and DM Almora over the phone and took stock of the rescue and relief measures.

Dhami also issued instructions to suspend the ARTO enforcement of the concerned area of ​​​​Pauri and Almora. Locals said that many migrants who had reached their native villages to celebrate Diwali are in the process of going back to their work locations due to which cabs and buses in the mountainous region are jam-packed with passengers these days. The ill-fated bus too may have been overloaded given the rush of passengers.

Almora SSP Devendra Pincha said that the accident is being investigated. He said 28 people had died on the spot, while 30 injured were sent to Ramnagar Joint Hospital for treatment, out of which 8 people are reported to have died during treatment.

PM Modi Offers Condolences, Announces Ex-gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the bereaved families and wished for speedy recovery of the injured.

"My condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is making every possible effort for relief and rescue," the PMO quoting the Prime Minister said in a post on X.

He also has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

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