Kalimpong: Six people were killed and 15 others seriously injured after a passenger bus lost control and fell into a ditch here on Saturday, the district administration said.
The private bus left Siliguri for Gangtok around Saturday afternoon. It is learnt that the bus lost control and fell into the Teesta River near Rongpo on the Kalimpong-Sikkim border. Rescue teams reached the spot and started work.
Kalimpong District Superintendent of Police Srihari Pandey said, "Our first task was to rescue the passengers. We did that. However, six people have died so far. Over 15 injured have been shifted to multiple hospitals in Sikkim. The police are investigating the entire incident."
Five of the six people who died in the bus accident have been identified. One of them is a woman. They are, Iqbal Hasan, a resident of Kolkata, Gopal J Prasad, a resident of Deorali in Gangtok, Ajay Tamang, who hails from Samsing but resides at Gorubathan, Jhulu Kumari, a resident of Rangpo in Sikkim and Indrajit Singh, a resident of Siliguri. Four of the 15 injured ones are women.
The identities of the injured persons are not yet known.
Factors like how the driver lost control of the bus, and the speed of the bus at the time of the accident are being investigated. It may be noted that there are chances that tourists were also there in the Gangtok-bound private bus. However, there is no confirmation from the Kalimpong District Magistrate's office on the matter.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Sikkim Tourism Department announced that North Sikkim is being opened for tourists from December 1. The Transport Department is even contemplating issuing vehicle permits online for visiting Lachung.
