22 tourists killed in Uttarakhand bus accident

Twenty-two tourists, including 13 children and four women, were killed when their bus overturned and fell into a ditch on the outskirts of this Uttarakhand capital, police said Thursday.

Twelve passengers were seriously wounded and 10 got minor injuries in the accident Wednesday night near the Shiv Mandir village, seven kilometres from here.

The bus was part of a convoy of eight buses carrying tourists from Haridwar who were returning after a day’s sojourn in Mussoorie.

According to the official, seven other buses returned safely to Haridwar.

The officials suspect that the driver, who escaped from the spot, was intoxicated and lost control of the vehicle at a turn.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank visited the accident site around midnight and announced a relief of Rs.200,000 each for the family of the victims and Rs.50,000 for the seriously injured.