40 killed in India bus accident

Forty-two passengers were killed after their bus fell into a gorge in India’s Uttarakhand state this morning. Three are critically injured.

The accident happened on the Pipali-Bhoan motorway in Pauri Garhwal’s Nainidanda block.

The police and a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in rescue operations.

According to reports of local media, about 45 passengers were traveling in the minibus which was headed for Ramnagar from Bhoan.

The reason for the accident isn’t known yet.

The injured were rushed to the hospital. The number of casualties is expected to rise, said Garhwal commissioner Dilip Jawalkar.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed condolences to the family of those killed.