Forty eight people were killed when an overcrowded bus spun off a slippery road and fell into a deep ravine in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on Sunday, police said.
Uttarakhand’s inspector general of police, law and order, Deepam Seth, said 45 people were killed instantly and three others died after being taken to the nearest primary healthcare facility in Ramngar. Twelve others were being treated for injuries, he added.
Inspector general of police, state disaster response force, Uttarakhand, Sanjay Gunjyal told media in Dehradun that initial reports revealed that the bus was carrying more passengers than its capacity and the condition of the road was also being investigated.
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A local police official from Pauri, the location of the accident, said the 28-seater bus was carrying 59 passengers. He declined to be identified since he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Local media reported that rescue operations were over and victims were being identified by relatives and friends.