25 dead as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

As many as 25 people have died after a bus carrying a wedding party plunged into a gorge in the Bironkhal area of Uttarakhand's Pauri district on Tuesday evening.

The state disaster response force and police have managed to rescue 21 passengers.

According to earlier reports, the bus was on its way to a village in Bironkhal from Laldhang when it met with the accident near the Simri bend around 7.30 pm.

A rescue operation was immediately launched with the help of local residents but was hampered by the darkness, sources told sources.

With a lack of adequate facilities, the villagers had to depend on flashlights on their mobile phones to rescue people.

However, ambulances, lighting and life-saving equipment were later rushed to the spot.

Officials expect there were over 40-42 people on the bus, including women and children. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Disaster Management Authority office in Dehradun to assess the situation following the bus accident in Pauri.