At least eight people were killed and five injured after a private bus plunged nearly 200 feet into a deep gorge near Haripurdhar in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district on Thursday, police said. The bus, which was travelling from Solan to Haripurdhar, reportedly went off the road and landed upside down.
Local residents rushed to the spot and initiated rescue efforts, while videos of people pulling injured passengers out of the wreckage circulated on social media.
Sirmaur Superintendent of Police Nishchit Negi said eight fatalities have been confirmed so far, adding that the death toll may rise. “There were around 30 to 35 passengers on board,” he said.
Rescue and evacuation operations were launched immediately, with police and emergency teams deployed. Industry Minister and local MLA Harshwardhan Chauhan said medical teams at Dadahu, Sangrah and Nahan hospitals were on alert.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed deep grief over the loss of lives.
