Shifting seats to play saved Bilaspur siblings in HP bus tragedy

Moments before a private bus carrying 18 passengers was struck by a massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur on Tuesday evening, 10-year-old Arushi along with her eight-year-old brother, Shaurya, shifted to vacant rear seats to play together.

The decision proved to be a lifesaver, as the siblings are the only two passengers alive. Natives of Fagog village near Bharthin, both Arushi and Shaurya were travelling with their mother, Kamlesh, and their aunt, Anjana. Their two cousins, who preferred to sit with their mother, also died in the accident.

“Huge debris fell on the bus with an explosion-like noise. Suddenly, everything turned dark in a matter of seconds,” recalled Arushi.

Rescuer Ramesh Kumar said finding Arushi alive beneath the debris was nothing short of a miracle. “It was Arushi who told us that Shaurya was with her in the back seat, and he too was rescued,” said Kumar adding that rescuers cried with joy upon finding the siblings as there was little hope of any survivors in the accident.

Both of them were rushed to AIIMS, Bilaspur. They were discharged on Wednesday morning. Shaurya performed the last rites of his mother while Arushi was inconsolable. The family lost four lives in the tragedy.

The Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner and the SP visited the homes of the surviving children to check on their well-being and extended support to the families who lost their loved ones. They assured the grief-stricken families that the district administration remained committed to providing timely assistance to them.