Shimla: The death toll in Wednesday’s bus accident on the Kullu-Mandi national highway climbed to 40 on Thursday with the recovery of four more bodies while another four persons succumbed to their injuries.
The ill-fated private bus, which plunged into Beas river after skidding off the road, was carrying about 70 passengers.
Eyewitnesses said that the mishap occurred as the driver lost control of the vehicle while talking on his mobile phone.
The driver, who jumped off the bus before it hit the water and fled the scene, was arrested by Kullu police this morning, a release here said.
Thirteen injured persons are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kullu, where the condition of five of them was stated to be critical.
Police said that 35 victims have been identified with 20 of them being women.
Meanwhile, the state government has ordered a magisterial probe into the accident.
DGP Kamal Kumar too has sent a team headed by AIG Rajesh Dharmani along with traffic and railway police to take over the investigation into the mishap, which occurred some 250-km away from the state capital.
The passengers of the over-crowded bus were on their way to attend a three-day local festival at Ani.
Efforts by rescuers to reach the wreckage of the bus in order to pull out bodies and look for survivors was hampered by the turbulent waters of the river in this area.
Seventeen of the passengers were rescued by rafters as the site of the accident at Jhiri is a popular river rafting spot.
Kullu Deputy Commissioner Sharab Negi, who did not rule out the possibility that some passengers might have been washed away in the waters of the Beas, said search operations were on along the banks of the river.
The DGP has directed the inspector general of police (traffic) and railways to issue guidelines for field officers that they may adopt measures which would prevent recurrence of such accidents.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.