A tourist bus from Punjab fell into Parvati river near Bhuntar in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, July 23, in which seven people lost their lives. Around 22 people have been rescued while 22 others are said to be missing as reported by the Indian Express .
The 52-seater bus, of registration no PB 19,3085, belonging to Guru Kripa Transport, a Barnala (Punjab) based company, was on its way to Manikaran, a popular Sikh shrine. The accident took place around 4pm in Sarsari village on the Bhuntar-Manikaran road, some eight km from Bhuntar.
The injured have been admitted to a government hospital in Kullu while four seriously injured have been shifted to PGI Chandigarh. “We fear the number of missing persons could be 23 or 24,” Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Rakesh Kanwar told Indian Express . Kanwar reached the spot with a rescue team, comprising home guards, SSB personnel and policemen. “The bus is still untraceable. Most the bodies might be still stuck either in the bus or washed away,” he said, as FirstPost reported .
As per eye witness accounts, the driver lost control of the vehicle as it skidded off the road and plunged into the river.