Uttarakhand: Bus skids into a gorge near Pauri-Almora; 23 dead, many injured

Uttarakhand: Nearly 23 people travelling on a Garwal Motors Users’ bus have been killed after it plunged into a gorge near Kupi in Ramnagar, on the Pauri-Almora border, on Monday.
Police headquarters spokesperson IG Nilesh Anand Bharne told ANI that 23 people have died in the Almora bus accident. He said that more than 45 people were travelling in the bus that met with the accident.
State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have begun a rescue operation at the accident site, and injured victims have been sent to hospital for treatment. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident and instructed government officials to airlift those severely injured.
The bus, travelling from Garhwal to Kumaon, fell into a gorge near Marchula in Almora, District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey told PTI.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered in the incident and orders have been released for the suspension of people related to the matter, said Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami in a video message later in the day.
“Our priority is medical attention to the injured, so all hospitals have been directed for the same. Chief Secretary is monitoring this. Govt is standing with the injured as well as the bereaved families of the deceased,” said Pushkar Singh Dhami told ANI.
 
The casualties in the Uttarakhand bus accident are expected to go up as there were about 40 passengers on board when the bus fell into the 200-metre-deep gorge, Pandey told PTI.
The search and rescue operation is underway, with the local administration and SDRF teams working swiftly to rescue victims. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the accident and shared on social media that he has instructed the district administration to expedite relief and rescue operations.
“Received very sad news of casualties of passengers in the unfortunate bus accident that took place in Marchula of Almora district. The district administration has been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations swiftly,” he said on X.