Himachal Pradesh accident: 14 dead, 20 injured as bus plunges into 500ft gorge in Sirmaur; PM Modi reacts

At least 14 people were killed, and over 20 were injured after a private bus plunged into a 500-foot gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Friday (January 9) afternoon. The bus was coming from Shimla and on its way to Kupvi through Rajgarh when it went off the road near Haripurdhar village and fell into the gorge. The bus landed upside down at the site of the accident, which is nearly 95 kilometres from the district headquarters in Nahan, as per news agency PTI. Officials said the seating capacity of the bus was 39 passengers, but it was overloaded at the time of the accident. The number of passengers on the bus is yet to be confirmed.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the family and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh to the deceased. “The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. An ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000,” PM Narendra Modi wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Rescue operation ongoing

Sunil Kayath, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sangrah, who is overseeing the rescue efforts, said operations are being carried out. He informed that the injured are being transported to hospitals in Sangrah and Dadahu for further treatment. Along with emergency teams, police personnel, and district administration, locals also joined in the rescue operation. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the accident. In a statement, he ordered district authorities to give all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and ensure that proper medical treatment for those injured in the accident.

BJP national president and Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal, Shimla MP Suresh Kashyap, and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri also expressed their condolences. The cause of the accident is uncertain. However, as per locals, they suspect that the driver may have lost control of the bus due to frost on the road.