A tragic bus accident in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Friday afternoon has resulted in the death of 12 people and injuries to more than 35 others. The incident occurred near Haripurdhar village, approximately 95 kilometers from Nahan, the district headquarters. The private bus, which was traveling from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh, veered off the road and plunged into a 500-feet deep gorge. The bus landed upside down as a result of the accident.

Reports indicate that the bus had a seating capacity of 39 passengers and was allegedly overloaded at the time of the accident. Local residents were the first to respond to the scene, initiating rescue operations even before emergency teams arrived.

Sangrah Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sunil Kayath reported that rescue operations were underway on a "war footing," with injured individuals being transported to hospitals in Sangrah and Dadahu.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed his condolences and directed district authorities to provide comprehensive support to the families of the deceased and ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical care. Condolences have also been extended from across the political spectrum, including from BJP national president and Union health minister J. P. Nadda, Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal, Shimla BJP MP Suresh Kashyap, and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri. Harshwardhan Chauhan, the Industry minister and local MLA from the Shallai assembly segment, stated that the district administration has been placed on high alert, and medical teams are actively involved in providing assistance.