Twenty seven people were killed and 26 injured when an overcrowded Hanol-Vikasnagar bus fell into a deep ravine at Chilhal, in the remote Tuini area of Dehra Dun district, on Wednesday.
Shifting the injured for treatment to Chakrata and Dehra Dun took time as the road was very narrow and slippery after the rain, police said.
Expressing shock at the accident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced an ex gratia relief of Rs. 1 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed and Rs. 50,000 to the seriously injured. Ordering a magisterial enquiry, Mr. Bahuguna asked the authorities to check overloading and rash driving on the hill roads. Governor Aziz Qureshi expressed grief at the loss of lives.