At least eight people, including the driver and conductor, lost their lives while ten others were injured after a private bus overturned and plunged onto a lower road in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district on Saturday morning. The accident occurred near Chalunj Mor in the Devikothi area on the Bairagarh–Tissa road when the Sharma Bus Service bus was travelling from Bairagarh to Chamba. Officials said the vehicle had departed around 6:30 a.m. and met with the accident after covering nearly three kilometres. Carrying 18 passengers at the time, the bus overturned before falling onto the road below, trapping several occupants beneath the wreckage and triggering a large-scale rescue operation.
Local residents rushed to the scene after hearing cries for help and alerted emergency services. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Himachal Pradesh Police, Home Guards, Fire Services and the Revenue Department worked together to rescue the trapped passengers and shift the injured to nearby hospitals. Authorities said six of the ten injured sustained serious injuries and were referred to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College and Hospital in Chamba for specialised treatment. The District Disaster Management Authority confirmed the death toll but stated that the identities of the victims had not yet been officially released. An investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the accident.
The tragedy comes as Himachal Pradesh continues to battle severe monsoon conditions that have disrupted normal life across the state. Heavy rainfall has forced the closure of 185 roads, while 77 water supply schemes and 104 electricity transformers have also been affected. The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of the state, warning of continued adverse weather in the coming days. Since the onset of the monsoon on June 30, at least 65 people have died in rain-related incidents across Himachal Pradesh, including fatalities caused by landslides and flash floods, while the state has suffered losses estimated at more than ₹834 crore.
