Shimla, India— Eight people were killed Saturday when a passenger bus overturned and fell off a mountain pass in Himachal Pradesh, a stretch of road known for sharp turns and sheer drops.
The bus was traveling from Manali to Shimla on NH-3 when it lost control near Kullu. Around 7:40 a.m. Police said the driver hit a patch of loose gravel on a curve, overcorrected, and the vehicle tipped over the edge. It fell about 15 meters.
Local villagers reached the site first. They heard screams. They pulled people out through broken windows before rescue teams arrived. The fog was thick. Visibility under 20 meters.
"The bus was overloaded. People were sitting on the roof," a survivor said from the district hospital. "It was shaking on every turn. Then it just went."
Himachal Pradesh Police confirmed eight dead, including two women and a child. Twenty-three others were injured, six critically. They were taken to Zonal Hospital Mandi and IGMC Shimla.
The bus belonged to a private operator. Officials said its fitness certificate had expired last month. The driver, who survived, is in custody. He told police the brakes failed. That claim is being checked.
District administration ordered the road closed until noon for recovery. A crane was brought in to lift the wreckage. Traffic was diverted through an old link road.
Mountain roads in Himachal see frequent accidents during October, when tourist traffic spikes and weather shifts fast. The state recorded 41 bus accidents last year on hill routes.
A case has been registered under rash driving and culpable homicide. The transport department will inspect the vehicle Monday.
The pass remains open but under watch. Families are arriving at the hospital to identify bodies.
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