Seven people were killed and 11 others injured in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district on Saturday after a private bus skidded off the road near Chalunj Mor on the Tisa-Bairagarh route, officials said.
The accident occurred around 7.15 am under Patwar Circle Bairagarh when the bus, travelling from Bairagarh towards Chamba, met with an accident after covering about five kilometres.
Chamba Assistant Superintendent of Police Dinesh Sharma said 18 people were travelling in the bus. Seven passengers died at the spot, while the remaining 11 were rescued with the help of local residents and shifted to hospitals.
Six critically injured passengers were later referred to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College and Hospital in Chamba for specialised treatment.
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, police, Home Guards, Fire Services and the Revenue Department joined the rescue and search operation at the accident site.
Police said postmortem examinations of the deceased were being conducted and further investigation into the cause of the accident was underway.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the deaths and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also condoled the deaths and directed the district administration to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.
