5 killed, 21 injured after bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora

Five persons died and 21 were injured as a bus fell into a 150-foot gorge in Almora district on Thursday.

District magistrate (DM) Almora said the bus belonging to the Garhwal Motor Owners Union (GMOU) fell into gorge in Mohanri on Bhatrojkhan-Bhikiyasan route at 3.15pm. Seven passengers were seriously injured of which three were taken to Susheela Tiwari Government Hospital in Haldwani and four were taken to Ranikhet hospital for medication.

Twelve others were admitted to a primary health centre in Bhatrojkhan while two returned home.

The road was wide and there was no rain at the time of accident. According to the DM, brake failure led to the accident. There were 26 passengers on the bus.

Governor Baby Rani Maurya and chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the accident. He also wished speedy recovery for the injured passengers.

“The accident occurred due to brake failure,” Nitin Singh Bhadauria, DM Almora said.

On September 4, a passenger vehicle was hit by a landslide on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district, killing 14 people. The lone survivor is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dehradun.

On August 28, a bus fell into a gorge in Tehri Garhwal, in which two persons died and 33 were injured.

The meteorological department has predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in Uttarakhand on September 9.

First Published: Sep 07, 2018 00:27 IST