The rescue operations are in progress and efforts were on to identify the deceased. Police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving.
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Among the injured, condition of 18 is stated to be serious, they said.
Shimla: At least nine people died and 36 were injured when a state roadways bus skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district Saturday night, police said.
The bus which was ferrying over 55 persons was on its way to Rekong Peo, when the mishap took place near Jogindernagar in Mandi district.
Witnesses told police that the cause of the accident was overloading and bad condition of the road.
According to reports, while giving a pass to another bus on the National Highway, the driver of the bus Kishan Chand lost control over the vehicle.
The Deputy Commissioner and SP supervised the rescue operation on the spot, as rescue team traced and evacuated bodies from the wreckage. The injured were thereby rushed to the nearby hospital.
Himachal governor Acharya Dev Vrat and chief minister Virbhadra Singh have mourned the death of passengers.
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Expressing grief over the accident, Transport Minister G.S. Bali ordered a magisterial inquiry into it and announced compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the families of the victims.
