india

Updated: Nov 25, 2018 23:29 IST

As many as nine people were killed and more than 30 injured when a private bus they were travelling in plunged into a rivulet at Jalal bridge near Dadahu in Renuka sub-division of Himachal Prdesh’s Sirmaur district on Sunday.

The ill-fated bus carrying 45 passengers was on its way from Nahan towards Dadahu.

Sirmaur superitendent of police Rohit Malpani said their preliminary investigation suggests the bus was being driven “rashly”, and that the driver, who has not been identified, lost control over the vehicle. The police were yet to identify the dead.

The SP said that a large number of people had come from villages surrounding Dadahu for the International Renuka Festival, which had ended on Friday, but several of them, mostly traders, had stayed back in the town for more purchasing.

Several teams comprising members of the police force, home guards and fire fighters were rushed to the spot soon after the accident, and a rescue operation was launched with the help of locals, the officer said.

Those with minor injuries are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Renuka, Nahan and Dadahu, while some with serious injuries were rushed to the YS Parmar Medical College and Hospital in Nahan.

“A case under India Penal Code sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt), and 304 A (causing death by negligence) has been registered against the driver,” said the officer who was supervising the relief operation.