A privately operated bus fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora district on Monday, killing at least 36 of the about 60 people on board and injuring 24.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a compensation of R4 lakh for the next of those killed and a financial assistance of R1 lakh for the injured. Four of the injured are serious out of which three were airlifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh and one was taken to Sushila Tiwari Hospital, Haldwani, Almora District Disaster official Management Officer Vineet Pal said. There were around 60 people on board the 43-seater bus when the accident took place, he said, adding that overloading of the vehicle could have led to the accident.