12 killed, 25 injured in bus accident in HP

Dharamshala, June 21 (UNI) At least 12 pilgrims were killed and 25 injured after their bus veered off the road and plunged into a gorge in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh late last night, State Transport Minister G S Bali today said.

The bus, with 37 aboard, was carrying pilgrims from Delhi to the state when the accident occurred at about 1135 hrs at Charan Khad,in a second major accident at the same spot on this day in two years, he told UNI.

Mr Bali said there was no immediate word on what caused the accident, while rejecting the driver's version that it was due to the locking of the steering of the vehicle.

At least 12 people were killed on the spot, and 25 injured, six of them seriously who were admitted to PGI at Chandigarh, he said after visiting the injured in the hospital.

The minister said senior district administration officials, including Kangra Deputy Commissioner Bharat Khera, along with a medical team rushed to the accident site immediately to supervise relief and rescue operations, which were hampered due to darkness.

The injured have been admitted to the Dr Rajender Prasad Medical College and Hospital here where the doctors described the condition of several of them stable while discharging six after first aid, he said.

The Transport Minister said majority of the passengers were from Patel Nagar area of Delhi and were on a pilgrimage to temples of the state.

The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to provide free medical treatment to the injured who have been admitted here and at PGI at Chandigarh besides making arrangements to ferry the dead bodies of the pilgrims to their native places, he said.

He also announced an immediate relief of Rs 25,000 each to the next of the kin of the dead and said the state government would also give Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 each to the injured.

The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the cause of the bus accident along with an inquiry by the Transport Divisional Manager who has been asked to submit its report within a month, Mr Bali said.

The bus driver, who survived the accident, said the accident occurred due to the locking of the steering, which was rejected by Mr Bali who said only an inquiry would bring the truth out.

Meanwhile, the tour operated by Pritpal Transport Company, based at Delhi, described the driver ''very reliable and experienced''.

Nineteen Gujarati tourists were killed and 20 injured after the bus, they were traveling in, plunged into a gorge on June 21, 2005 when the bus driver failed to negotiate a sharp curve.

UNI