Himachal Deputy CM orders probe into Sirmaur bus accident that claimed 14 lives

A day after 14 people died in a bus accident in Himachal’s Sirmaur district, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

“An investigation has been ordered into the tragic road accident that killed 14 people and injured many others,” said Agnihotri, who holds the transport portfolio.

“The management acted quickly regarding the incident and the injured were treated in different hospitals,” he said.

The accident occurred on Friday afternoon, January 9, 2026, when an overloaded private bus, exceeding its seating capacity of 39 people, veered off the road and fell into a 500-feet-deep gorge while traveling from Shimla to Kupvi.

The vehicle crashed upside down near Haripurdhar village, about 95 kilometers from Nahan district headquarters. In addition to 14 people, including 8 women, approximately 52 people were injured in the accident.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined; However, local people estimate that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and then went off the road due to freezing.

Officials said that the injured were treated in many hospitals, including Rajgarh Government Hospital, Nahan Medical College, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Shimla, while the seriously injured were referred to PGI Chandigarh.