Punjab Newsline | Shimla
At least three people, including an HRTC conductor, were killed and 21 others injured after a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus plunged into a deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district on Wednesday evening.
The accident took place around 7 pm near Kholighat in the Kharahan-Tolu Ghotola area of Rampur Bushahr subdivision. Cabinet Minister Vikramaditya Singh confirmed the incident.
According to officials, the bus was carrying 24 passengers on the Rampur-Kholighat route when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. The bus veered off the road and fell nearly 50-60 feet into a gorge.
Shimla Police confirmed that 24 people were travelling in the bus at the time of the accident. Three people lost their lives, while 21 others sustained injuries. Several victims suffered head injuries, and the bus driver was also seriously injured with multiple wounds, including a severe head injury.
Soon after the accident, police, local administration, and rescue teams rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations. Local residents also played a crucial role in evacuating the injured, using their own vehicles to transport some victims to nearby hospitals before ambulances reached the site.
Images from the accident scene showed the bus badly mangled after the fall. The exact cause of the accident is yet to be determined, and an investigation is underway.
