As many as seven persons lost their lives and 12 others were injured after a passenger bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Sailapani, close to Vinayak Road, in the Bhikiyasain area of Almora district in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.
The bus was going from Bhikiyasain to Ramnagar when the driver reportedly lost control while navigating the narrow and risky Bhikiyasain–Vinayak Motor Road.
Local residents said the bus skidded near the Sailapani stretch before rolling hundreds of feet down a steep and rocky slope into the gorge. As per information from the District Control Room (DCR), nearly 17 to 18 passengers were on board the bus at the time of the accident. The impact of the fall was so severe that the vehicle was completely wrecked at the bottom of the gorge.
Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police from Bhatrojkhan and Ranikhet rushed to the accident site soon after receiving information. Villagers from nearby areas were the first to reach the spot and helped officials reach the difficult location.
An SDRF spokesperson said rescue teams are working in extremely challenging conditions to trace and recover the remaining passengers. So far, seven bodies have been recovered from the wreckage.
The injured survivors were pulled out of the debris in critical condition and were immediately taken to nearby hospitals and medical centres for treatment.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and described the incident as “heart-wrenching.” He said he is in constant touch with the district administration to closely monitor the situation.
The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured and asked that critically injured patients be referred to advanced medical facilities without delay.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the tragedy and extended condolences to the bereaved families. In a message shared by the PMO, he said "The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in the Almora district of Uttarakhand is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest: PM Narendra Modi."
Almora SSP Devendra Pincha said the immediate priority remains rescue operations and medical treatment of survivors. He added that a detailed investigation will be carried out later to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
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