[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a shocking accident at least 30 people, including 27 school children, were killed after a bus skidded off the road and rolled down deep into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh on Monday. Twelve injured passengers were rushed to the hospital and are in critical condition.

Santosh Patyal, a senior local police official said, “The bus rolled into a 200ft-deep gorge, killing 27 schoolchildren, two teachers and the driver. My first priority was to save lives. We will now investigate the reasons for the accident.” The accident occurred in Nurpur area of Kangra district.

The police official further said, “Prima facie, negligent driving and over-speeding are the main reasons for the accident.”

According to reports most of the victims were in the age of 10 to 12 years. Forty-five students of Wazir Ram Singh Pathania Memorial Public School were returning home when the bus fell into the 100-feet deep gorge.

The accident site is 10 kms away from the school in Gurchal and about 100 kms form district headquarters at Dharamsala. The ill-fated bus was on its way to drop children back to their homes.

Teams of local administration and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were involved in the rescue. Local villagers had reportedly begun rescue operation even before officials could reach the spot.

Kangra SP Santosh Patial said that the impact of the accident was such that much of the vehicle was crushed. “We had to cut open the body of the bus to pull out the victims and survivors. We have been able to account for 38 people on the bus. As a precaution, we are making sure no one fell out at the time of the accident.”

Principal of the school, Sunita Kumari, said the bus was carrying students of all standards – from nursery to class 10. “The bus had been inspected by all the authorities and had met all norms,” she said.

According to a newspaper report, one of the injured student of the ill feted bus Ranbir Singh crawled back on the road and informed a man passing by on a motorcycle about the accident. The boy also alerted a shopkeeper about 150 m away on the Malakwal-Symbly link leading to Chamba.

It was this alert that helped rescuers reach the spot within the next 30 minutes, said police and local residents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Venkaiya Naidu, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Governor Acharya Devvrat and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda have condoled the deaths. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced an immediate relief of Rs 500,000 to the next of kin of each deceased.

The death toll could rise as some students were still trapped in the mangled bus even as the rescue operation is on, police added. Local villagers had begun rescue operation even before officials could reach the spot, eyewitnesses said.

On an average, 12 persons die in road accidents in Himachal Pradesh every day. The state witnessed in total around 29,555 road accidents across the state from 2005 to 2015.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]