At least 32 people were killed and 28 others severely injured when an overloaded bus fell into a deep drain in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, officials said.

The private bus fell into the over 300-metre-deep nullah near the Dhoth Morh in Banjar tehsil of the district, Kullu Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri said, adding that the vehicle was en route to Gada Gushaini.

Prima facie, it seems that overloading and negligent driving may have caused the accident, Banjar Patwari Sheetal Kumar said.

Officials said the death toll in the tragic accident has touched 32, and added that the injured were undergoing treatment at the Banjar Civil Hospital and the Kullu district hospital. Most of the victims were residents of various areas in Kullu district.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the tragic accident. In their condolence messages, they prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family members, an official spokesperson said.

The chief minister has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, the official said, adding that Thakur also asked the administration to provide best possible medicare to the injured passengers.

Meanwhile, state Transport Minister Govind Singh Thakur left for Kullu from Shimla after learning about the accident.

The Kullu district administration announced an immediate relief of ₹ 50,000 to the kin of each of the deceased and the injured.

Talking to PTI, Piyush Tewari, founder of SaveLIFE Foundation said, “It’s a shame that mass-casualty bus crashes have become a norm in India, especially in hilly states like Himachal Pradesh.”

“The state government must immediately order a summary audit of all roads, and engineers and contractors responsible for missing basic installations like crash barriers must be booked for causing countless deaths and injuries,” he said.

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