9 dead, 25 injured after bus plunges into river in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur

In yet another tragic incident, at least nine people were killed and 25 injured after an overspeeding private bus fell from a bridge into a river near Dadahu in Sirmaur on Sunday. According to reports, the rescue and relief operations to evacuate the passengers are on in full swing. The accident occurred near Khadri village on the Renuka-Dadahu-Nahan road, about 168 km south of Shimla, about 4.30 pm this afternoon. The bus was on its way from Renuka Ji to Nahan when the driver lost control, broke the railing of the Jalal bridge and fell 40-feet down into the Jalal river

"Himachal Pradesh: Nine persons died after a private bus fell in a gorge near Dadahu in Sirmaur. Rescue & relief operations underway," the news agency ANI reported.

Himachal Pradesh: Nine persons died after a private bus fell in a gorge near Dadahu in Sirmaur. Rescue & relief operations underway. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/AEghc2m9IX

— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2018

Read | 30 killed as bus falls into canal in Karnataka's Mandya, Kumaraswamy announces ex-gratia for keen of deceased

Four passengers, including three women, died on the spot, while five critically-injured declared dead in a hospital. Twenty-five people are under treatment in the Nahan medical college and Dadahu sub-divisional hospital. Preliminary investigation suggests that the accident happened due to the negligence of the bus driver.

The news broke barely hours after another bus plunged into a deep gorge at Kiari Nallah on Solan-Shimla border in Himachal Pradesh. However, no casualty has been reported into the incident so far. According to Omapati Jamwal, SP, Shimla, all the passengers have been rescued from the spot and were rushed to the hospital.

While 15 passengers, including the driver and the conductor, are being treated at a community health centre in Junga, six people, whose condition was critical, were referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla.

The actual reason behind the tragedy is yet to be ascertained.

Read | Cuttack: 12 killed, 49 injured after bus falls off Mahanadi bridge

On Saturday, a private bus carrying passengers, mostly schoolchildren, fell into a canal in Karnataka's Mandya district. The mishap left 30 persons dead and several injured. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the keen of those deceased.