Kullu: At least 20 including schoolchildren are feared to have been killed after a private bus rolled off a cliff in the Jangla area of Sainj valley on Neoli Shansher road of Kullu district. The bus is said to have been completely shattered.
The incident took place at 8:30 am on Monday. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg with his team of emergency forces rushed to the spot. The injured are being rushed to the nearby hospital, the DC said pressing the reporters.
PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin who succumbed to the accident. The injured each will be given Rs 50,000 said, Modi. “The bus accident in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh is heart-rending. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected”- read his Twitter account.
Expressing grief on the incident, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur tweeted: “I received news about the private bus accident in Sainj valley of Kullu. The entire administration is present at the spot and the injured are being taken to the hospital. I pray to God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to bereaved families”.