Bus falls into a gorge in Himachal pradesh claiming 40

In a tragic accident in Himachal Pradesh, an overcrowded bus at Chamba district fell into a deep gorge killing 40 and injured 17 on Saturday.

According to local police, the rescue operation was still going on near Rajera, some 10 km from the town where an over packed private bus skidded off the road at a turning point and fell into 300 feet deep gorge.

As much as 32 people died on the spot while eight died while being taken to hospital, an eyewitness informed to media.

Most of the victims were from Chamba district.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and leader of opposition Vidya Stokes expressed grief over the accident.

The spot of the accident is around 475 km from here. Chamba is one of remotest places in the state and scarcity and low frequency of passenger buses in the district leads to overcrowding of the vehicles.

--With IANS Inputs--