25 killed, 20 injured as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand’s Pauri

At least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured when a bus carrying around 45-50 members of a marriage party fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, police said on Wednesday (October 5).

The bus was on its way to a village in Bironkhal from Laldhang when it met with the accident near Simri bend at around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, they said.

Rescue operations were carried out throughout the night, police said.

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Twenty people injured in the accident were pulled out of the mangled remains of the bus and rushed to hospitals, they added.

“Twenty-five people were found dead in the Pauri Garwhal bus accident that took place last night in the Birokhal area of Dhumakot. Police and SDRF rescued 21 people overnight; the injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals,” DGP Ashok Kumar told ANI.

The bus was on its way to a village in Bironkhal from Laldhang when it met with the accident near the Simri bend, the disaster control room in Pauri said.

The accident occurred at around 7.30 pm on Tuesday.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said all possible assistance will be provided to those affected in the bus tragedy, which he termed “heart-rending”, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted.

“The bus accident in Pauri, Uttarakhand is heart-rending. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those who have been injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway. All possible assistance will be provided to those affected,” said PM Modi.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Disaster Management Authority office in Dehradun to assess the situation following the bus accident in Pauri.

(With inputs from agencies)