At least 14 people killed as bus falls 500 ft in Himachal, PM announces ex-gratia

A devastating road accident claimed at least 14 lives and left over 50 others injured on Friday afternoon in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The incident occurred near Haripurdhar village, approximately 95 kilometers from Nahan, when a private bus traveling from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh veered off the mountainous road. The vehicle plunged nearly 500 feet into a deep gorge and landed upside down, making rescue efforts extremely challenging due to the steep terrain.

The Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Sangrah, Sunil Kayath, confirmed that the rescue operation was launched on a "war footing" immediately after the accident. Local residents were the first to reach the site, braving difficult conditions to pull survivors from the wreckage before emergency teams arrived. While the bus had a seating capacity of 39, officials reported that it was significantly overloaded, which may have contributed to the tragedy. Preliminary reports also suggest that accumulation of frost on the road might have caused the driver to lose control.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep grief over the loss of lives through a social media post, describing the mishap as "extremely saddening." He announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured in the crash. President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also extended their condolences and directed district authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the survivors