A tragic accident occurred on Monday morning in Uttarakhand’s Almora district, where a bus carrying around 40 passengers plunged into a 200-meter-deep gorge near Ramnagar. At least 22 passengers are feared dead, and several children are reported to be among the casualties. The overloaded bus was en route from Garhwal to Kumaon when it crashed at Marchula, according to Almora District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami responded to the incident, directing immediate rescue operations and ordering the severely injured to be airlifted if necessary. Dhami expressed his condolences on social media, noting that rescue teams, including the local administration and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are actively working at the scene to aid survivors and transport them to the nearest medical facilities.
In light of the accident, the Chief Minister also suspended the ARTO enforcement officers responsible for the Pauri and Almora areas and announced financial aid for the victims’ families. An ex gratia of ₹4 lakh will be provided to the families of the deceased, while those injured will receive ₹1 lakh each. Additionally, the Chief Minister instructed the Commissioner of the Kumaon Division to carry out a magisterial inquiry into the cause of the incident.