UTTARAKHAND, India: A bus in Uttarakhand, India, plunged into a deep ravine in the Himalayan region, killing at least 36 passengers and injuring others.
According to AFP, the bus, filled with over 40 passengers, was traveling through a treacherous mountainous route when it lost control and fell into a ravine near Almora.
Emergency photos show the bus crumpled and wedged in thick undergrowth, with the front nearly flattened by the impact. Volunteers and rescuers formed a human chain along the steep hillside, working to pull the injured and deceased from the wreckage, and helicopters were deployed to airlift three critically injured individuals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences, announcing financial aid of 200,000 rupees for the deceased’s families and 50,000 for the injured.
Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has ordered an investigation into the cause, citing the challenging mountainous terrain and poor road conditions as common factors in such accidents.
Road incidents in India’s Himalayan region are frequent, claiming hundreds of lives annually due to precarious road maintenance and difficult driving conditions.
