10 pilgrims from Amritsar killed in Himachal

Shimla, June 15 (IANS) At least 10 pilgrims from Punjab’s Amritsar city were killed when a private bus in which they were travelling skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district on Thursday, police said.

Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Gandhi told IANS that over 30 people were injured in the accident, around 200 km from the state capital. They have been admitted to hospitals in Dehra and Tanda towns.

The pilgrims were on their way to the popular Hindu shrine Jwalamukhi when the bus met with an accident near Dhaliara town, some 65 km from Dharamsala district headquarters.

The pilgrims, mostly traders, earlier paid obeisance at the Chintpurni temple in the hill state.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed grief over the incident.

In May last year, a bus accident had occurred near this site in which seven people, all from Amritsar, lost their lives. They were returning home after paying obeisance at the Jwalamukhi temple.