Four people, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed and 24 injured after a roadways bus plunged into a 500-foot gorge in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district while trying to avoid a collision with a car.

The bus, which had 28 people on board, was travelling from Pithoragarh to Haldwani on Wednesday when it veered off the road near Aamdali in Bhimtal. The driver told the police that he had taken evasive action to avoid an accident with a car that had come from the wrong side. A passenger also confirmed the driver’s version.

Three people, including two men and a woman, died on the spot, while the 8-year-old boy died while undergoing treatment at a hospital. The remaining 24 people, including the driver, sustained injuries and are being treated at the Community Health Centre in Bhimtal.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami instructed to provide a relief amount of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the people who lost their lives in the accident.

“On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, relief amount will be provided to the dead and injured in the bus accident that took place in Okhal of Bhimtal. Relief amount of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to the families of the dead, Rs 3 lakh to the seriously injured persons and Rs 15- Rs 25 thousand to the normally injured persons,” the CMO release said.

The minister also expressed grief over the incident and directed the local administration to carry out an immediate rescue operation.

“The news of the bus accident near Bhimtal is very saddening. The local administration has been directed to carry out immediate relief and rescue operations. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of all the travellers.” Chief Minister Dhami posted on X.

Rescue teams from the local administration, state disaster response force, fire department and the police used ropes to pull out the survivors from the gorge with the help of local residents.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic and Crime) Jagdish Chand said, “The bus, which was travelling from Pithoragarh to Haldwani, fell 100 meters (approximately 320 feet) into the ditch. Police officials reached the spot after receiving the information.”

Six people died a horrific death in a car accident in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun earlier this week as they were returning from a party. The incident took place around 1.30 am at the ONGC Chowk on November 12 when the car they were in collided with a truck, reducing their vehicle to a mangled wreck.

A disturbing video of the incident is doing rounds on social media which shows the impact of the collision was so strong that it tore off the Toyota Innova’s roof and twisted it. Two passengers were left decapitated in the incident. The visuals also show one of the victim’s head ripped off, while another person’s body can be seen twisted inside the crushed car. Several other body parts of the victims are also seen scattered around the road.

According to media reports, a group of seven friends were returning from a party that night and were drunk.

The victims were identified as Kunal Kukreja (23), Atul Agrawal (24), Rishabh Jain (24), Navya Goel (23), Kamakshi (20), and Guneet (19). While, the seventh person, Siddhesh Agrawal (25), who had reportedly hosted the party in Dehradun, is the sole survivor but remains in a critical condition, the police said.

While six victims hailed from Dehradun, Kukreja is from Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

According to the police, it was not immediately clear where the group was coming from and an investigation is underway.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief at the loss of lives in the incident.

“The news of the death of six youths in a road accident in Dehradun is extremely heart-rending. I pray to God to grant the departed souls a place at his sacred feet and give strength to the bereaved families to bear the immense pain,” he said.