At least 36 people have been killed and several others injured after a poorly maintained and overcrowded bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, officials have confirmed.
The accident took place in Almora district, within the mountainous state of Uttarakhand.
The bus, carrying about 60 people, left over 20 injured, according to Deepak Rawat, a senior state government official.
Authorities initially believed there were 42 passengers onboard, which is the bus’s official capacity.
Rescue and relief teams were promptly deployed to the scene, with officials fearing the death toll may rise, especially as seven passengers in hospital remain in critical condition.
Television footage showed the mangled remains of the bus, overturned on a rocky slope near a stream.
Rescuers were seen working to pull out passengers and carrying bodies on stretchers.
The state’s Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, stated that rescue teams were working swiftly to transport injured passengers to nearby hospitals, and that authorities had been instructed to airlift those in serious condition.
The state government has opened an investigation into the crash, according to Vineet Pal, another state official.
Preliminary reports suggest the dilapidated bus skidded before tumbling down a 60-metre (200-foot) gorge.
Several passengers managed to escape or were thrown out by the impact, subsequently alerting authorities to the accident. Two transport officials have been suspended for approving a bus in such poor condition, Pal added.
India is known for having some of the highest road death rates globally, with hundreds of thousands of fatalities and injuries occurring annually. Most crashes are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads, and ageing vehicles.
In July, at least 18 people were killed after a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in Uttar Pradesh.
In May, a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims skidded and rolled into a gorge on a mountainous road in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 21 people.
