Mandi, July 24: At least eight people, including four women, were killed and 21 others injured when a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus plunged nearly 100 feet off the road near Tarangla in the Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district on Thursday, police said.
The bus, which was carrying 29 passengers including the driver and conductor, was headed from Sarkaghat to Durgapur when the accident took place. While five deaths were reported at Civil Hospital Sarkaghat, two victims succumbed at Government Medical College, Nerchowk, and one at AIIMS Bilaspur, officials confirmed.
Seventeen of the injured are being treated at GMC Nerchowk, AIIMS Bilaspur, and RKGMC Hamirpur, while four others are under care at Civil Hospital Sarkaghat, police added.
Mandi SP Sakshi Verma, who oversaw the rescue operation, said that local police and emergency teams swiftly reached the spot and carried out evacuations despite the steep and difficult terrain. “The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Necessary legal action is being taken and the exact figures are being confirmed,” Verma added.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the transport portfolio, visited the injured at AIIMS Bilaspur. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the tragedy and instructed the Mandi administration to provide ex-gratia compensation to the next of kin of those who died and ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.
BJP MP from Mandi Kangana Ranaut also expressed condolences. “I pray to the almighty to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families,” she wrote on social media.
