14 killed as bus falls into gorge in Himachal's Sirmaur

In Himachal Pradesh, fourteen people have died in Sirmaur after a bus fell into a 500-foot deep gorge, police said on Friday. , when an overloaded private bus, surpassing its seating capacity of 39, veered off the road on its way to Kupvi from Shimla, and fell into the gorge. It landed upside down near Haripurdhar village, around 95 kilometres from the district headquarters, Nahan. Besides 14 casualties, which include eight females, about 52 people have sustained injuries as per the list released by the administration. The deceased have been identified as Himanshi, Balbir Singh, Sanam, Vilam Singh, Promila Devi, Surat Singh, Suman, Ramesh, Kiyan, Riyanshi, Mohan Singh, Priyanka and Sakshi, while one body is yet to be identified, officials said.

Expressing grief over the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. "The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.

President Droupadi Murmu also mourned the deaths and said on X: "I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured individuals." Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a statement issued, expressed deepest condolences and directed the district authorities to provide all possible assistance to the next of kin of those killed in the accident and ensure the best medical care to the injured.

The BJP national president and Union health Minister J P Nadda, Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Assembly Jai Ram Thakur and state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal, Shimla BJP MP Suresh Kashyap and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri have also expressed grief on the tragedy.