Twelve people were killed and 41 others were injured when Dharamsala – Rekongpeo bus of HRTC fell in a 200-foot deep gorge about 50 kms from here near Jogindernagar around 9 pm on Saturday night. The fateful bus was carrying 53 passengers.
On receiving the information of accident, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kadam, Superintendent of Police Prem Singh along with a team of rescue and rehabilitation personnel rushed to the spot of accident. SDM and police officials of Jogindenagar were the first to reach the site and immediately started rescue operation with the help of hundreds of local villagers.
Deputy Commissioner Sandeep said that eighteen injured were admitted in Tanda Medical College near Palampur, 20 in Jogindernagar Civil Hospital and three in Padhar Primary Health.
Five persons had died on the spot including driver Kishan Chand and 6-year old girl. Seven succumbed to injuries on way to various hospitals, said he.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident by the District Magistrate Mandi. An immediate ex-gratia relief of Rs 10,000 to the next of the kin of the dead and Rs 5000 to each injured was disbursed on the spot by the district authorities.
Union Health Minister Jagat Preakash Nadda, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Health Minister Thakur Kaul Singh, Member Parliament Ram Swarup Sharma and Transport Minister G S Bali have expressed deep grief on the accident and conveyed deep condolence to the relations of the victims.
leader of the opposition, Prem Kumar Dhumal and former PWD minister Thakur Gulab Singh have also expressed deep grief over the accident. They have attributed the accident to the bad condition of roads. They said hundreds of people have lost their lives in accidents in the state since Virbhadra Singh government has come to power.
It was agonizing, they bemoaned, that despite the fact that all funds for the construction and maintenance of the national highways come from the Centre, the State Government had not been able to utilize the funds properly and sub-standard works were being executed due to corruption and the condition of roads had worsened all over the state killing people and hitting hard the prime tourism industry.