Marchula (Uttarakhand) | A packed beyond capacity bus carrying passengers returning to work after Diwali fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Almora district on Monday, killing at least 36 of the over 60 people on board.

Twenty-seven people were injured, four of them critically, when the 43-seater bus, operated by the private Garhwal Motor Owners Union, was on its way from Pauri in Garhwal region to Ramnagar in Kumaon about 250 km away.

The accident took place around 8 am, almost the fag end of the overnight journey, said District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey.

The bus plunged into a 200-metre gorge in Almora's Marchula area 35 km before its destination Ramnagar, he said.

Visuals from the area pointed to the magnitude of the accident, the vehicle reduced to a mangled mess as it rolled down the forested, rocky slope and stopped just short of a stream. Rescuers could be seen working to pull out the passengers.

The rescue operation lasted around five hours.

Of the 36 killed, 10 are women. Twenty-eight people died on the spot and eight succumbed to injuries in the Ramdutt Joshi Joint Hospital, Ramnagar.

A magisterial probe has been ordered and the assistant regional transport officers of Pauri and Almora suspended.

"The news of the death of many people, including women and children, in a road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand is heart-rending. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," President Droupadi Murmu said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were among those who expressed their grief at the loss of lives in the accident and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured.

The prime minister announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and an assistance of Rs 50,000 for the injured. He said the local administration is making every possible effort for relief and rescue.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin and financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh for the injured.

Dhami also cancelled his programmes scheduled for the day in New Delhi to rush to Ramnagar, where he met with the injured. Pauri MP Anil Baluni accompanied him.

Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt also visited the injured at the hospital in Ramnagar.

The injured were taken first to the nearest hospital in Ramnagar, from where six were airlifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh, and two to the Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani, Almora District Disaster Management Officer Vineet Pal said.

According to Pal, 63 people were on board the 43-seater bus when the accident took place. The overloading of the vehicle could have led to the tragedy, he added.

Uttarakhand Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar also did not rule out overloading as a possible reason, saying it is often the case in such incidents.

However, the exact cause of the accident will be known only after the magisterial probe concludes, he said.

At the hospital in Ramnagar, doctors, nurses and medical staff stepped into high gear to treat the injured, many of them bleeding and in visible agony.

Only one of the three admitted to the trauma centre at AIIMS, Rishikesh, was in a position to speak and give his name. "He introduced himself as Ashok Kumar. The rest have been registered as unidentified," the

institute's PRO Sandeep Kumar said.

A doctor from AIIMS, Rishikesh, has gone to the spot in an air ambulance to see if more help is needed, he said.

As fears mounted that the death toll could go up, state Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat also went to AIIMS to enquire about the condition of the injured.

Police and personnel of the National and State Disaster Response Forces rushed to the spot to launch a search and rescue operation.

"The Garhwal Motor Owners Union bus was carrying people returning to work after spending the long weekend at home," an official said.

The chief minister said any negligence that led to the bus accident will be dealt with sternly.

"Related departments have been given orders to suspend officials involved. People who are affected are being helped. I am supervising the incident personally," Dhami said.

"Received very sad news of casualties of passengers in the unfortunate bus accident that took place in Marchula of Almora district. The district administration has been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations swiftly," he said in a post on X earlier in the morning.

Congress president Kharge appealed to the government and administration to provide immediate compensation to the victims and make full aid for proper treatment of the injured.

"In this hour of grief, the Congress party stands with the affected families. Congress party workers should provide all possible help and service," he said in Hindi in a post on X.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi added in his post, "The news of the deaths of many people in a horrific road accident in Almora, Uttarakhand, is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured."

The administration, he said, is expected to extend full support to all the affected families. Gandhi also requested Congress workers to provide all possible support in the relief and rescue work.