At least nine persons were killed and two others injured, five of them critically, when a bus rolled 400 mts deep into a gorge near Milla village in Sirmaur district today.
Bodies of all the deceased have been retrieved from the spot and identified, SDM, Paonta, Shrawan Manta said.
The injured persons were rushed to nearby Shillai hospital and shifted to Sub Divisional hospital, Paonta Sahib after administering first aid.
The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained but the survivors said that driver lost control while negotiating a curve and the vehicle rolled down.
SDM said that immediate relief of Rs 20,000 has been provided to the next of kin of each deceased.
Eye witnesses at Shillai said the driver and conductor of the bus fled after the accident.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Transport Minister G.S.Bali have expressed grief over the tragedy and directed the administration to provide all possible help to the victims.
Most of the accident victims hail from Milla and Magnal village while one of the deceased was from village Phadog.
The deceased have been identified as Dimpal (12), Attar Singh (38), Nisha (35), Vir Singh (37), Santosh (17), Chander Kala (17), Tapender (14) Jayanti Devi (40) and Santo(45).
