At least 48 dead as bus crashes into 700ft ravine in Indian Himalayas

At least 48 dead as bus crashes into 700ft ravine in Indian Himalayas

The bus crashed into a gorge in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand

At least 48 people have died following a crash which saw a bus plunge off a Himalayan mountain road and into a 700ft-deep ravine, officials have said.

Police say a rescue operation is ongoing to reach casualties and that others are injured after the accident in the Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand, northern India.

The 28-seater bus, which was travelling from Bhoan to Ramnagar, was carrying around double the amount of passengers, officials said.

At least seven other people are believed to be critically injured.

"People were packed like sardines," said police officer Jagat Ram Joshi.

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Image: Police say a rescue operation is ongoing

Trivendra Rawat, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the bus skidded and fell into a 700ft (213m) deep gorge.

Senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal said 20 bodies had so far been pulled out of the wreckage, but that rescue work was being hampered by bad weather.

The cause of the crash is not yet known but Mr Gunjiyal said rain could have caused the bus to skid off the road.

He said: "It is raining (in the area) since morning. Two days back there was a landslide in that area."

Residents were the first on the scene to help the victims, he said.

More than 110,000 people are killed every year on India's deadly roads.

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles. </s> At least 48 people were killed today when an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road into a gorge in northern India, officials said.

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state Trivendra Rawat said the bus fell into a 213-metre-deep deep gorge in the Himalayan foothills.

He said about a dozen other people were injured and some of them were taken to the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) hospital in Rishikesh.

Police official Manoj Kumar said rescuers recovered 48 bodies from the accident site.

According to police, the 28-seat bus was carrying about 60 people.

India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually.

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles. </s> At least 48 people were killed on Sunday when an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road into a gorge in northern India, officials said.

At least 48 people were killed on Sunday when an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road into a gorge in northern India, officials said.

48 killed as overcrowded bus plunges into gorge in India

Chief minister of Uttarakhand state Trivendra Rawat said the bus fell into a 700ft deep gorge in the Himalayan foothills.

He said about a dozen other people were injured and taken to hospital.

Police official Manoj Kumar said rescuers recovered 48 bodies from the accident site.

“People were packed like sardines,” said another police officer, Jagat Ram Joshi. He said at least seven of the injured were in a critical condition.

Earlier, rescue and retrieval work was hampered by bad weather, said senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal.

Police said the 28-seat bus was carrying about 60 people.

It was not clear what caused the crash, but Gunjiyal said bad weather could have caused the bus to skid off the road.

“It is raining (in the area) since morning. Two days back there was a landslide in that area,” he said, adding that residents were the first to reach the site and help the victims.

Gunjiya said the terrain was inhospitable and communications were poor.

India has the world’s deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually.

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles. </s> Bus crash in northern India kills at least 48 people

At least 48 people are dead after an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road and into a gorge in northern India, according to officials.

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state Trivendra Rawat said the bus fell into a 213-metre deep gorge in the Himalayan foothills.

He said about a dozen other people were injured and hospitalised.

Police said the 28-seat bus was carrying about 60 people.

"People were packed like sardines," police officer Jagat Ram Joshi, said.

He said at least seven of the injured were in critical condition.

Police official Manoj Kumar said rescuers recovered 48 bodies from the accident site.

Earlier, rescue and retrieval work was hampered by inclement weather, senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal said.

It was not clear what caused the crash, but Mr Gunjiyal said bad weather could have caused the bus to skid off the road.

"It is raining [in the area] since morning. Two days back there was a landslide in that area," he said, adding that residents were the first to reach the site and help the victims.

Mr Gunjiya said the terrain was inhospitable and communications were poor.

India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually.

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles. </s> At least 23 children were killed when their school bus skidded off a mountain road into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas, officials have said.

Three adults were also killed in the crash, Himachal Pradesh state transport minister Govind Singh Takur told the Press Trust of India news agency.

At least a dozen people were taken to hospital.

Initial reports indicated that the bus driver was speeding and lost control at the edge of the gorge, with the bus crashing some 60 metres (200ft) to the ground below, said police officer Sunil Kumar.

File photo of a view of the Himalayas.

The accident occurred in the Kangra Valley, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of New Delhi.

India's roads, particularly in the hills, have long been feared for their deep potholes, reckless drivers and, very often, a lack of guardrails. Fatal accidents are common.

"I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

"My prayers and solidarity are with those who lost their near and dear ones."

Rescuers were still digging through the wreckage after nightfall looking for more survivors, Mr Kumar said. </s> At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured Thursday after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India's northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said.

The private bus was filled with more than 60 people, some of them sitting on the roof, when it plunged into a 150-metre (500-foot) deep gorge in Kullu district of the Himalayan state.

Kullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP that authorities launched a rescue operation immediately and moved the injured to hospitals.

She said the toll could rise further.

Local media showed the mangled remains of the bus near a stream at the bottom of the gorge as locals made human chains to help survivors cross it.

The Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and over-crowding adding to the safety hazards.

At least 15 people were killed in April after their bus fell into a gorge in a nearby district.

In India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year. </s> At least 30 people have been killed after an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road into a gorge in northern India.

At least 30 people have been killed after an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road into a gorge in northern India.

At least 30 dead in India after bus plunges off mountain road

Trivendra Rawat, chief minister of Uttarakhand state, said the bus skidded and fell into a 700ft deep gorge.

About a dozen others are injured, the official added.

Senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal says rescue work is being hampered by poor weather. He says rescuers have so far pulled out 20 bodies.

India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles. </s> SHIMLA, India: At least 44 people were killed when a bus in India's mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh plunged into a gorge on Thursday (Jun 20), officials said.

Another 28 were undergoing treatment, many of them for critical injuries, after the private, overcrowded vehicle veered off the road and fell into a 150m gorge in Kullu district of the northern Himalayan state.

Officials had given an initial toll of at least 25 dead but later said 19 others succumbed to injuries.

Kullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP the injured were taken to the nearest hospitals where they died during treatment.

Many of the victims were women and children coming back from work and school, she said.

The bus was carrying more than 60 passengers, a large number of them on the roof, when it lost control at a sharp curve and rolled down the steep mountain before perching on the edge of a stream.

Pictures from the scene showed the mangled remains of the colourful bus on the rocky edge of the water as volunteers made human chains to help survivors cross it.

Agnihotri said an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the crash.

The Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and overcrowding adding to the safety hazards.

At least 15 people were killed in April after their bus fell into a gorge in a nearby district.

In India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year.

A separate crash on Thursday left three children dead and four feared drowned after their van plunged into a canal in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Another 22 people either swam to safety or were rescued by locals. </s> An overcrowded minibus crashed into a gorge in Kashmir valley on Monday, killing at least 31 people and injuring another 7, officials said.

The bus plunged off the Himalayan mountain road as its driver negotiated a curve and rolled down into a 150-meter (500-foot) deep gorge along a rocky stream, said civil administrator Angrez Singh Rana. He said officials were investigating whether it was a mechanical failure or driver's negligence.

Top police officer M.K Sinha said the bus hit the rocks and was torn apart in several pieces. He said the 27-seat bus was overcrowded.

Rescue teams have evacuated seven injured to hospitals, where all of them are in critical condition.

On Thursday, a minibus carrying students to a picnic crashed into a gorge along another Himalayan road in Kashmir, killing at least 11 and injuring seven others.

India has the world's deadliest roads, with about 150,000 killed and 470,000 injured annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and old vehicles.

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Video: 35 killed, several others injured as bus rolls down gorge in Kishtwar
A bus skids off a mountain road into a 700-foot (210 m)–deep ravine in Uttarakhand, India, killing at least 48 people.