Ten pilgrims from Punjab were killed and 45 others were injured when a bus carrying them rolled down a gorge on a sharp curve near Dhaliara in Kangra district, about 60 km from Dharamsala, on Thursday.
The pilgrims from Amritsar were on their way to the Jawalaji shrine in Kangra district.
Sources said the driver of the bus lost control as he tried to save the bus from a collision with a Maruti car coming from the opposite side. He hit the car but no harm was caused to the car occupants. The bus rolled down into about thirty feet gorge.
The pilgrims in the bus were traders from Amritsar who came to pay obeisance at Chintpurni Mata temple in Una district and Jawalaji Mata temple in Kangra district on every ‘Sagrandh’ (full moon night).
Today the pilgrims were coming towards Jawalamukhi after paying obeisance at Chintpurni temple when the accident took place.
The sources here said that 10 pilgrims died on the spot. Some of the deceased got trapped in the mangled remains of the bus.
The locals reached the spot and were first to help out the injured. The injured were shifted to the Dehra government hospital.
Three deceased have been identified as Shiv Kumar (40), Charan Kaur (53) and Santosh (60). Seven others are yet to be identified.
Most of the injured have been shifted to Tanda Medical College. We are waiting for information from the kin of the injured and the deceased.
The district authorities have provided basic aid and other facilities to the injured, the SP said.
