Uttarakhand bus accident: President Kovind, PM Modi express grief

New Delhi, July 1: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a bus accident in Uttarakhand's Pauri district which left 48 people dead.

President Ram Nath Kovind

"Very sad to learn about the tragic bus accident in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Rescue efforts are on and local authorities are doing their utmost to help. My condolences to the bereaved facilities and best wishes to those injured," President Kovind tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

"Extremely saddened by the bus accident in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray thatthose injured recoverat the earliest. Rescue operations are underway and authorities are providing all possible assistance at the accident site,"tweeted PM Modi.

At least 48 people were killed and 10 injured when an overloaded private bus fell into a 200-metre deep gorge near Gween village in the district. The bus was on its way to Ramnagar, according to the state police.

BJP president Amit Shah

Offering his condolences, BJP chief Amit Shah said, "Pained to know about the loss of lives in a tragic bus accident in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. My deepest condolenceswiththe bereaved families and I pray for the speedy recovery of those who have been injured. Have also spoken to the local BJP unit to join the rescue operation."

Rescue operations were carried out by the police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, Pauri Superintendent of Police Jagat Ram Joshi said, adding that all the bodies have been recovered from the mangled remains of the bus.

Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul and Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat have also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. The chief minister has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident, besides announcing a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured, his office said.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs