52 killed in Chamba accident

Of the 52 dead,40 persons lost their lives on the spot while the remaining succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.

At least 52 persons,including 18 women and two children,were killed on Saturday and 45 injured when an overcrowded bus fell into a gorge in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. According to eyewitnesses and survivors,the incident occurred when the driver of the private vehicle lost control after one of the tyres burst.

Of the 52 dead,40 persons lost their lives on the spot while the remaining succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. The toll is likely to go up as the condition of some of the injured is stated to be serious.

The 42-seater bus,on its way to Chamba from Dulera,was carrying more than 100 passengers,with a large number of them travelling its roof,the police said.

Himachal Police chief I D Bhandari told The Sunday Express that the bus was overcrowded because of Minjar fair at Chamba. The driver,who is also among the dead,lost control after the tyre burst.

The vehicle rolled down into a 500-foot deep gorge. All the bodies have been recovered, Chamba Deputy Commissioner Sunil Chowdhary said.

Narinder Kumar,a passenger who survived,told the police that he was hanging onto the rear side of the bus when he saw it tilting to one side before plunging into the gorge.

Most of the victims were from three nearby villages,including Dulera,with many families losing two-three members. A Muslim family lost five members.

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Himachal Assembly Speaker Tulsi Ram and MLA B K Chauhan,who rushed to the spot and supervised relief and rescue operations,had to face angry relatives of the victims who complained that despite repeated requests,a state transport bus service had not been provided on the route.

Of the relief of Rs 1 lakh each announced for the family of the deceased,the district administration distributed immediate relief of Rs 10,000 each to the next of the kin of the victims,while the seriously injured were provided medical aid and

relief of Rs 5,000 each.

A magisterial inquiry has been instituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,officials said.