At least 13 killed as minibus falls in gorge in northern India

New Delhi, Oct 31 (EFE)- At least 13 people were killed on Sunday after a minibus carrying them fell into a gorge in a mountainous area of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.

“We had received info that the vehicle rolled down a gorge. Thirteen deaths confirmed so far, 2 rescued. (Rescue) teams are at spot,” the district magistrate of Dehradun – the area where the accident took place – Rajesh Kumar, said in a press conference.

He added that the authorities will compensate the families of the victims and wounded.

“I express my grief over the road accident that took place on the Bulhad-Baila road. May God give peace to the souls of the deceased and give their family members the strength. The district administration has been directed to speed up the rescue work and provide immediate medical attention to the deceased,” Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tweeted.

Road accidents on the generally treacherous roads of India are frequent due to the poor conditions of highways, poor maintenance of public transport vehicles, and the lack of respect for traffic regulations.

In February, 51 people were killed in one of the worst accidents of this kind when a bus fell into a water canal in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

In 2019, more than 151,000 people lost their lives and over 451,000 were injured in some 449,000 road accidents in India, the latest data from the federal ministry of road transport and highways showed. EFE

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