India bus crash: 27 children killed as school bus falls into gorge at Nurpur
AT least 30 people including 27 children died when a school bus plunged off a mountain road in the constituency of Nurpur, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, on Monday, authorities have confirmed.
TIMES OF INDIA
At least 20 bodies have been recovered by authorities and volunteers from the 42-seater school bus, SDM Nurpur Abid Hussain said.
He added: “It was expected that more bodies would be recovered; those injured were sent to nearby hospitals.”
Himachal Pradesh transport minister Govind Singh Thakur confirmed to PTI that the dead included 27 students.
The bus driver, 67-year-old Madan Lal, and two women teachers also died in the accident.
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The Himachal Pradesh government has ordered a team of doctors to remain on standby.
Principal of Dr. RPGMC Tanda at Kangra told TOI: “A team of 50 doctors was standing on emergency doors, including paediatricians, doctors from Orthopaedics and ENT”.
Recovery operations are still underway.
The school bus was transporting tens of children when it swerved off the road and fell into a gorge.
The pupils were students of a private school in Nurpur town, 300km from the capital state, Shimla.
The exact number of students in the bus is expected to be around 40, but it is still to be confirmed.
Superintendent of police Santosh Patial said: “I am on the spot. My first priority was to save the lives.
"Getting the details of fitness of the bus and all other reasons for the accident will follow."
India has the world's deadliest roads, with almost 150,000 people killed in accidents in 2015, the latest government data shows.
More to follow...