Uttarakhand: 2 die, 22 injured after bus falls into gorge on Mussoorie-Dehradun road

Passengers of a roadways bus were injured after it skidded off Mussoorie-Dehradun road and fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand on Sunday.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Two girls dead and 22 passengers were injured, including the bus driver, when a bus fell into a gorge on the Mussoorie-Dehradhun road on Sunday, said the police. The Uttarakhand Transport Corporation bus was carrying 34 passengers, going from Mussoorie to Dehradun, when the accident took place.

According to the Mussoorie police, "With the help of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), all the injured have been rescued and admitted to the hospital for treatment." The condition of three passengers is serious, said police. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami expressed grief over the incident. Taking to Twitter he said, "The news of the bus falling into a ditch on the Dehradun-Mussoorie highway is extremely sad. I pray to God that the departed souls get a place in His holy feet and I wish the injured a speedy recovery. The officers concerned have been directed to provide treatment for the injured".

Earlier, 32 people were killed and 18 injured in the Pauri Garhwal bus accident last year, informed State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The SDRF spokesperson said, "In the bus accident in Rikhnikhal, Dhumakote, a total of 32 were killed while 18 people have been injured." Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced financial assistance to the kin of the deceased in the Uttarkashi and Pauri Garhwal tragedies.

"An amount of Rs 2 lakh for deaths, Rs 1 lakh for serious injuries, and Rs 50,000 for normal injuries will be provided to all those affected by these two tragedies," the official informed. Condoling the kin of the deceased, Dhami said that the state government stands with the families.