The bus was designed to hold 42 passengers, but on Nov. 4, there were around 60 passengers on board
Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Uttarakhand/AFP via Getty
Uttarakhand bus crash on November 4, 2024 in the Almora district in India’s Uttarakhand state.
Thirty-six people have died and six people were injured in a bus crash in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Almora district on Monday, Nov. 4, according to the Associated Press, CNN and CBS News.
The bus, which was built to carry 42 passengers but had around 60 people onboard, left Garhwal in the Himalayas for the town of Ramnagar — approximately 120 miles south of Garhwal.
During the drive, the bus lost control, veered off a hilly road and fell into a river about 200 feet below the road, senior state official Deepak Rawat told the AP. Almora district officials reported to the scene and worked to rescue passengers from the overturned bus.
Several passengers were either thrown out of the vehicle or escaped. Those who survived then alerted authorities about the accident.
According to CBS News, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said emergency crews were “working swiftly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health center for treatment. Instructions have also been given to airlift the seriously injured passengers if required.”
Dhami confirmed an investigation into the accident will be launched.
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State Disaster Response Force HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Uttarakhand bus crash on November 4, 2024 in the Almora district in India’s Uttarakhand state.
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State official Vineet Pal said preliminary information indicated the bus was inadequately maintained, and it skidded before falling into the ravine. Pal also said two transport officials were suspended for permitting the poorly conditioned bus to travel, per the AP.
Dhami said the state government will compensate the grieving families with 400,000 Indian rupees ($4,750) and those injured will receive 100,000 rupees ($1,190). Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered additional compensation, stating that the families of those killed will also receive 200,000 rupees ($2,378) and injured individuals will be given 50,000 rupees ($594), per CBS News.
Modi also offered his condolences “to those who have lost their loved ones in the unfortunate road accident.”
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Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Uttarakhand/AFP via Getty
Uttarakhand bus crash on November 4, 2024 in the Almora district in India’s Uttarakhand state.
India sees hundreds of thousands of road fatalities each year, some of the highest in the world, per the AP.
More recently, in July, 18 people died when a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in Uttar Pradesh state, the AP reported. Two months before that, 21 people died after a bus lost control and rolled into a deep ravine on a mountain highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
