Shimla: Forty-one people have been killed and over two dozen others injured in three separate road accidents where vehicles fell into gorges in Himachal Pradesh since last night.
17 people were killed when a private bus fell into a nulla in a remote area of Chamba district last evening while 13 people died when a car fell into a 300-foot deep gorge near Bada Kamba on Chaura–Kamba link road in tribal Kinnaur district.
Eleven persons were killed on Saturday when a state-run bus fell into a deep gorge near Bajroli Bridge in Theog sub division of Shimla district. In the Kinnaur incident, the victims were returning late last night after leaving a newly wed at her in-laws’ place.
Twelve persons died on the spot in the accident and one succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital while the lone survivor jumped out of the falling vehicle, police said. The brother of the bride and the vehicle’s driver were among the deceased, they said. District administration officials reached the spot and all the bodies have been recovered. The vehicle was “overcrowded”, police said, adding that an investigation is on. An immediate relief of Rs 50,000 will be given to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 10,000 and Rs 5000 to those suffering serious and minor injuries respectively.
In another accident in Shimla district, eleven persons, including the driver and the conductor,were killed while 25 others sustained injuries. Four persons died on the spot and seven succumbed to their injuries at a hospital. Meanwhile, three more persons injured in the accident involving a private bus in Chamba district on Friday succumbed to injuries in the hospital on Saturday, raising the death toll to 17, police said.
Three fatal accidents have claimed 41 lives in the state during past 24 hours raising concerns about safety of passengers. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh visited the injured at IGMC hospital here. Singh said that the drivers should be very cautious while driving and avoid negligent and rash driving.
The law and order agencies should take stringent action against those violating traffic norms and indulging in drunken driving or using mobile phones, Singh said. “We can’t tolerate loss of precious lives due to negligence on part of drivers and human error,” he added. (PTI)
