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36 People Killed, 6 Injured in Overcrowded Bus Accident in India
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36 People Killed, 6 Injured in Overcrowded Bus Accident in India

36 people died and 6 people were injured in the bus accident that occurred in the Almora region of India’s northern Uttarakhand state on Monday, November 4. Associated Press, CNN And CBS News.

The bus, which was built to carry 42 passengers but had about 60 people on board, left Garhwal in the Himalayas for the town of Ramnagar, about 190 kilometers south of Garhwal.

While driving, the bus lost control, veered off a bumpy road and fell into the river about 60 meters below the road, senior government official Deepak Rawat told the AP. Almora district officials arrived at the scene and started working to save the passengers in the overturned bus.

Many passengers were either thrown from the vehicle or fled. The survivors later reported the situation to the authorities.

According to CBS News, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said emergency teams were “working quickly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest medical center for treatment. Instructions have also been issued to transport seriously injured passengers by air if necessary.”

Dhami confirmed that an investigation would be launched into the accident.

Uttarakhand bus accident in Almora district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand on November 4, 2024.

State Disaster Response Force HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock


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State official Vineet Pal said preliminary information showed the bus was poorly maintained and skidded before falling into the valley. Pal also said that two transportation officials who allowed the deteriorated bus to travel were suspended, according to the AP.

Dhami said the state government will give compensation of 400,000 Indian rupees ($4,750) to the bereaved families, while those injured will receive 100,000 rupees ($1,190). Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered additional compensation, stating that 200,000 rupees ($2,378) would be given to families of those killed and 50,000 rupees ($594) to injured people, according to CBS News.

Modi also expressed his condolences to “those who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate road accident.”

Uttarakhand bus accident in Almora district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand on November 4, 2024.

Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Uttarakhand/AFP via Getty


According to AP, there are hundreds of thousands of traffic accidents every year in India; some of these deaths are among the highest in the world.

More recently, in July, 18 people were killed when a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the AP reported. Two months ago, 21 people lost their lives when a bus lost control and rolled into a deep valley on a mountain road in Indian-controlled Kashmir.