A bus accident in IndiaThe northern state of Uttarakhand It claimed 36 lives after a passenger bus fell into a 150-metre-deep gorge.

The accident occurred around 8.25 am on Monday at Marchula, about 35 kilometers from the destination, while the bus was traveling from Pauri to Ramnagar.

Local villagers were the first to respond, rescuing the passengers before police and the state disaster response force arrived at the scene.

“The incident took place on Monday morning and the district administration received information about the bus which fell into a 150-metre deep gorge around 8.45am,” the district management officer told reporters. disasters of Almora district of Uttarakhand, Vineet Pal.

Nine of the passengers died after being taken to hospital, while three others were airlifted to AIIMS in Delhi for treatment.

​​More than 60 people were traveling on the full bus, according to The Hindu.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a swift rescue and relief operation and announced compensation of Rs 400,000 (£3,600) for the families of the deceased and Rs 100,000 (£900) for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences and announced an additional compensation of Rs 200,000 (£1,800) for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 (£459) for the injured.

“My condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand. Furthermore, I wish the speedy recovery of all the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in all possible efforts to help and rescue,” Modi said in a post.

A judicial investigation is underway and some local officials in the area have also been suspended, according to The Indian Express.

Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the crash, but police officers indicated overcrowding may have played a role. The times of Hindustan reported.

Officials reported that the bus left for Ramnagar from Kainath village in Dhumakot around 6.30 am. The driver, Dinesh Singh, reportedly lost control while trying to take a curve near Kupi in Almora around 8.45 am. bus crashed through the barricades, plunged 150 meters down the steep slope and crashed at the bottom of the gorge, a few meters from a stream.

This accident is the deadliest in the hill state since July 2018, when 48 people lost their lives in Pauri Garhwal.

Some crash survivors reported that the bus’s axle gave way under the weight of the passengers. “The axle broke and the driver lost control. I closed my eyes as the bus moved down the road. I don’t know how I managed to get out,” said Ayush, 17, who was traveling with his family.

Police reported that 10 of the deceased were women and 28 people died at the scene.

“The remaining eight died at a hospital in Ramnagar,” Devendra Pincha, senior superintendent of police, Almora, told reporters.

“I was asleep and a strong tug woke me up. The bus rolled down the street and I could only hear people screaming. We came to a violent stop seconds later. The locals came to rescue us. When I finally got out of the wrecked bus, there were dead bodies and injured people everywhere,” said a survivor identified only by one name, Jagdeep, as quoted by H.T..

President Draupadi Murmu said in a post on X: “The news of the death of many people, including women and children, in a road accident in Almora is heartbreaking. “I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”