Twenty seven children were among 30 killed when a school bus ferrying them back home plunged into a deep gorge near village Gurchal on the Nurpur-Chamba highway, about 100 km from the district headquarters at Dharamsala. The deceased children were students of Ram Singh Pathania Memorial School, police said.
School bus driver, 67-year-old Madan Lal, and two women teachers too died in the accident, Kangra SP Santosh Patial said.
Local BJP MLA Rakesh Pathania, who was on the spot, said 27 bodies were recovered while two more had been spotted. At least 13 seriously injured persons were rushed to hospital in Pathankot where one of them succumbed to injuries, an official said. The condition of other injured persons was also critical, he said.
The bus was carrying 40-45 people and most of those killed were students of elementary classes, aged below ten. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced an immediate relief of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. A magisterial probe was ordered and preliminary enquiries suggested the accident occured as the driver lost control over the bus which veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge, an official said.