A major road accident was reported on Tuesday morning near Vikasnagar in Uttarakhand after a Himachal Pradesh Roadways bus carrying 36 passengers fell into a deep gorge. The bus was travelling from Nerwa in Himachal Pradesh to Paonta Sahib when it lost control near Quanu on the Haripur–Koti–Meenas road and plunged into the gorge.
Soon after receiving information, teams of the State Disaster Response Force reached the spot and began rescue operations. Injured passengers were pulled out of the gorge and shifted to nearby hospitals. Officials confirmed that three passengers died in the accident.
According to police, 13 injured passengers were admitted to the sub-district hospital, while 10 are undergoing treatment at Lehman Hospital in Herbertpur. Three injured passengers were admitted to a hospital in Paonta Sahib, and one passenger is being treated at Graphic Era Hospital. Rescue operations continued for several hours to ensure no passenger was left trapped.
The deceased have been identified as Yasmeen Begum, 46, wife of Nek Mohammad, resident of Kyarla, Nerwa; Richa, 30, wife of Birendra, resident of Vizmal, Nerwa; and Dhan Bahadur, resident of Kyarla, Nerwa, all from Himachal Pradesh.
Thana In-Charge Kalsi Deepak Dhariwal said all injured passengers were rescued and shifted to hospitals for treatment. The condition of some injured passengers remains serious.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep grief over the incident. In a post on X, he said he had spoken to the District Magistrate and issued necessary instructions. He added that district administration and police teams were conducting relief and rescue work, nearby medical centres were kept on high alert, and airlifting would be arranged if required for critically injured passengers.
