Tourist bus falls into Himachal river, six killed

Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), July 23 : At least six people were killed and 12 others injured when a private tourist bus from Punjab skidded off the road and fell into the swollen Parvati river in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday, police said. Officials said the toll could increase as the bus had 50 to 55 passengers - all from Punjab’s Barla town and travelling to a famous Sikh shrine at Manikaran. The bus met with the accident on the Bhuntar-Manikaran road, some eight km from Bhuntar, Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar told IANS. He said six bodies have been fished out and the rescue operation is on. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, he said. The injured were admitted to government hospitals in Kullu, some 200 km from Shimla. (IANS)