4 die as HRTC bus rolls down hill in Shimla district

Shimla, June 21

Four persons, including the driver of an HRTC bus, were killed and three others injured when the bus in which they were travelling rolled down a hill in Jubbal tehsil of Shimla district, the police said here.

The accident took place today around 6.45 am when the bus that was on way to Giltari village skidded off the road and fell on another road below near Chori Kenchi in Jubbal after the driver lost control over the vehicle.

The deceased had been identified as driver Karam Dass, a resident of Kudu village in Jubbal; conductor Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Tali village in Naina Devi tehsil of Bilaspur; and passengers Birma Devi, a resident of Kudu and Dhan Shah, a Nepal resident.

The police reached the spot on the receipt of information and rescued the injured besides recovering the bodies. The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital, Rohru, where the driver and conductor succumbed to their injuries. Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi said an investigation to ascertain the cause behind the accident was underway.

Meanwhile, the district administration has granted Rs 25,000 each to the families of the deceased and Rs 10,000 to each injured.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri have expressed grief over the bus accident.

The Governor and Chief Minister extended their condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also hold the Transport portfolio, directed the local administration provided full assistance and relief to the affected families.

He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the peace of the departed souls.