8 dead, 10 injured as private bus crashes in Chamba’s hilly terrain

Shimla: At least eight people were killed and 10 others injured after a private bus met with a horrific accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district on Saturday morning.

The bus, operated by Sharma Bus Service, was travelling from Bairagarh to Chamba when it lost control near Chalunj More in the Devikothi area on the Bairagarh-Tissa road. The vehicle overturned before plunging onto the road below.

According to officials, the bus had started from Bairagarh around 6.30 am and had travelled nearly three kilometres when the accident occurred. There were 18 people on board.

The impact left several passengers trapped beneath the wreckage. Local residents were among the first to reach the accident site and alerted the police.

A joint rescue operation involving the NDRF, police, Home Guards, fire personnel and revenue officials was subsequently launched. Rescuers pulled trapped passengers from the wreckage and shifted the injured to hospital for treatment.

The accident occurred on the 27-km Bairagarh-Tissa road, a narrow and steep mountainous route that serves as an important link to the Churah Valley.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed condolences to the families of those killed and directed the district administration to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured. Authorities are investigating the circumstances that led to the crash.