Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA/SHIMLA, Jul 20: Six people from Bani tehsil of Kathua district were among 28 passengers killed and eight injured when an ill fated bus plunged into a 500-feet-deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Rampur district today.
The private bus was carrying 36 passengers from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Nauni in Solan when the accident took place on the Hindustan-Tibet National Highway, about 140 km from here.
The Himachal Government has ordered a magisterial inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident. However, preliminary investigations said a tyre burst led to the accident.
All the six deceased people from Bani as well as the injured person have been identified. They belonged to three adjoining villages in Bani tehsil and were working as timber laborers in Kinnaur area of HP.
The family members of these laborers said that they were on way to Solan from Kinnaur where from they had to board a bus for Bani.
Among the 22 victims from HP, seven bodies have been identified, said Deputy Commissioner of Shimla, Rohan Chand Thakur.
The deceased included 9 women and a child. Four of the seriously injured persons have been referred to IGMC Shimla and four others were undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital Khaneri.
Six people of Bani who were killed in the accident were identified as Hans Raj S/o Hari Lal, R/o BandhGhat,Ravinder S/o Chandu R/o Bandh Ghat, Udho Ram S/o Khem Dass, R/o Chandal, Mulkh Raj, S/o Khem Dass, R/o Chandal, Tilak Raj S/o Achro R/o, Chandal and Kewal Kumar of Duggan.
The Injured person has been identified as Madan Lal S/o Bishan Dass R/o Bandhghat.
Reports coming from Bani said that a pall of gloom has descended on all the three villages as they were the only bread earners in their families.
Soon after hearing the news of the accident the relatives of the victims from adjoining areas rushed to these villages in a state of shock.
DC Shimla Thakur said an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 has been given to the next of kin of the deceased.
Additional District Magistrate Suneel Sharma is at the spot supervising relief and rescue operations.
A CISF team is on the spot while a NDRF team from Sunni is on way to Rampur.
All the bodies of six persons will be brought to their respective villages in Bani by tonight or early in the morning.
MLA Bani Jeewan Lal took up the issue with SDM Rampur who informed him that the administration is shifting them to Bani as the rescue operations are on.
Jewan Lal has expressed shock and grief over the death of six people from his constituency in Rampur district of Himachal Pradesh.
MLA Bani conveyed his deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls. He also wished speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.
SSP Kathua, Suleman Choudhary said that they have received the message about the bus accident in HP in which six people from Bani area were killed and one was injured. He said the police is ascertaining the facts and SHO Bani is on the job.
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