Shimla: At least 27 people were killed when a bus fell into a 1,000 foot deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district, officials said on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal visited Bilaspur town to participate in the mass cremation of the victims.
Twenty-seven passengers were killed and 25 injured when a state-run bus fell into a 1,000-foot deep gorge near Danoh, five km from here, Monday evening. The government has ordered an inquiry.
Thirteen of the victims belonged to Bandla village, located on the outskirts of Bilaspur.
"The chief minister met families of the victims and participated in the cremation," Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan told IANS.
Dhumal also visited the regional hospital to enquire about the health of the injured.
A bus carrying passengers from Bilaspur to Bandla had broken down. Another bus that was coming on the same route stopped to pick up the passengers of the bus.
"As some of the passengers sat atop the bus, the bus driver alighted from the bus to direct the passengers not to sit on the rooftop. Suddenly, it started rolling down the hill due to some mechanical failure and fell into a 1,000-foot deep gorge," said Superintendent of Police Santosh Patyal.
According to official figures, road accidents in the past three years claimed 3,479 lives in the state.
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