The death toll of a bus accident on the Kullu Mandi national highway in India has reached 40, after four more people succumbed to their injuries in hospital and a further four bodies were recovered from the Beas river, said authorities on Thursday.
The accident occurred in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in the evening on Wednesday, when the privately owned bus, which was transporting approximately 70 passengers at the time, skidded off slippery roads on a mountain pass and plunged into the Beas River, close to the town of Kullu. The bus was carrying passengers to attend a three day local festival in the town of Ani.
A number of surviving passengers were rescued from the river by recreational rafters, as Jhiri, close to the accident scene, is a popular rafting destination.
Regional police chief Vinod Dhawan announced in a press conference that further bodies had been recovered from the river and from the partially submerged bus overnight, with some injured passengers dying of their injuries in hospital, bringing the total death toll to 40. 21 women and five children were among those who died in the inside, said Dhawan in a press conference in Kullu, which is approximately 200 kilometers north of the Himachal Pradesh capital, Shimla. Thus far, 35 of the fatalities in the accident have been identified and their next of kin have been notified.
As well as the fatalities, 23 passengers were injured in the accident and are being treated in local hospitals, where 5 passengers remain in a critical condition, according to a spokesperson from Kullu hospitals.
According to the police, two passengers are still missing and rescuers are continuing the search for bodies and survivors. The police also launched a region wide search for the driver of the bus, who allegedly jumped out of the bus before it plunged into the river. Eyewitnesses reported that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle while he was talking on his mobile phone. According to a new release by Kullu police, the bus driver has since been arrested.
The state government has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident, with the transport minister Kamal Kumar sending a team of traffic and railway police officials to conduct the investigation.
India has some of the world’s most dangerous roads, with more than 110 000 people being killed in road traffic accidents in the country each year. Difficult driving conditions, poorly maintained vehicles, winding mountainous roads and driver error have been blamed for India’s high road fatality rates.