Twenty-seven children were among 30 killed when a private school bus ferrying them home veered off the road and plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge at Malakwal in Nurpur in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh on Monday evening.
At least 13 students from Classes I to V died on the spot, while the others succumbed to injuries at Nurpur hospital. The driver of the bus and two school teachers were also killed.
Toll may mount
The death toll could go up as there were about 40 children in the bus, said Nurpur SDM Husain Siddique. The bus belonged to Vazir Ram Singh Pathania Memorial School in Nurpur.
At least 13 seriously injured persons were rushed to a hospital in Pathankot where one of them died of injuries, an official said. The condition of the other injured was also critical, he said. Most of the deceased belonged to nearby villages.
Senior Cabinet Minister Krishan Kapoor and local MLA Rakesh Pathania rushed to the spot to monitor the rescue operation.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced an immediate relief of ₹5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.
A magisterial probe was ordered and preliminary enquiries suggested the driver lost control of the bus, an official said.
( With PTI inputs )