A bus plunges into a gorge: at least 36 dead

At least 36 people died Monday in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand after the bus carrying them plunged into a gorge, a local government official said.

For now, “36 victims have been confirmed,” Deepak Rawat, a senior state official, told the press, adding that “three seriously injured people had been transported to hospital by helicopter.”

Accidents are common on India’s vast road network, which is poorly maintained and notoriously dangerous. According to a World Bank report released in 2021, 11% of total road deaths occur in India, even though the country accounts for only one percent of the world’s vehicles.

In May, at least 21 people died when their bus crashed into a gorge on a mountainous road in the part of Kashmir administered by New Delhi.

In November 2023, at least 37 people died in the same region after the bus carrying them skidded off a mountain road, plunging into a gorge.