At least eight people were killed while two others were injured after a bus overturned and fell into a gorge on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Kota on early Saturday morning.
According to news agency ANI, the bus was carrying passengers to Khatu Shyam in Rajasthan from Madhya Pradesh when the accident took place near Karadia. According to information received, the driver lost control of the bus, causing it to fall into a nearby ditch.
The rescue was initiated and the injured were rushed to the hospital where they were receiing treatment. The administration brought in cranes to pull out the bus from the gorge.
Speaking about the tragic accident, District Collector Piyush Samaria said, "Eight people have been brought dead so far. All critical patients have been shifted to the ICU, and their treatment has begun."
ALSO READ: Gujarat: Four Killed After Reactor Explodes At Pharma Plant In Bharuch
The silt and water in the ditch made it difficult for rescuers to evacuate the victims. A crane was used to pull the damaged vehicle out and rescue the trapped passengers.
Speaking about the rescue efforts, Simliya Station House Officer (SHO) Nand Singh said, "There were about 17 passengers in the minibus at the time of the accident."
The SHO said the injured were taken to nearby medical centers, including New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital. Three ambulances were deployed to quickly transport them to the hospital.
In a separate incident on Thursday, two people were killed while three others were injured after a taxi fell into a deep gorge near Pali Pulia on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway in Uttarakhand, officials said.
The police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation to locate the vehicle and rescue the occupants. The injured were hospitalised while the bodies were sent for post-mortem