On a tragic weekend, Himachal Pradesh hills have been hit by a worst road accident to date. On Friday, January 9, 2026, a private bus carrying 30 to 35 people veered off a narrow mountain road and plummeted nearly 200 feet into a deep gorge near the Sirmaur district.
The tragedy took place just outside the remote Haripurdhar area as the coach, known to locals as “Jeet Coach” was on its way from Solan (Kupvi) to Shimla. By late Friday afternoon, authorities have said that at least eight people have died while a number of others have taken serious injuries.
Chaos and Heroes
The Rescue Operation. The crash occurred on an especially narrow and difficult trail in the hilly terrain. Eyewitnesses said that the driver lost control of the vehicle, which rolled down the slope, turning upside down at the bottom of the gorge. The bus was severely mangled in the resulting impact, locking many people in the wreckage.
#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: Eight people died in a bus accident after a private bus enroute from Kupvi to Shimla rolled down the road near Haripurdhar in Sirmaur district. https://t.co/iQ3fz7vn70 pic.twitter.com/CcX6ZzR8ec
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2026
Key Rescue Highlights:
- Local response: Haripurdhar residents were among those who arrived first to the scene, climbing the steep incline to pick up victims before others arrived.
- Official Response: Nishchint Singh Negi, Superintendent of Police (Sirmaur), said police forces and emergency services were quickly dispatched.
Medical Emergency
Industry Minister and local MLA Harshwardhan Chauhan said an alert has been issued to hospitals in Dadahu, Sangrah, and Nahan to accommodate the flood of critical injured survivors. The Cost: Fearing an Increase in Casualties. Although eight deaths have been officially reported, the toll is likely to increase because at least five passengers are now in critical condition, with emergency help.
Medical teams are deployed 24/7, and arrangements are being made to airlift or send the most severely injured people from the vehicle to higher medical units in Chandigarh or Shimla for specialized treatment. Videos shared on social media show a mass of local volunteers alongside rescue teams taking ropes and cutters, attempting to rescue those still stuck in the overturned vehicle.
Human-Wildlife Conflict vs. Infrastructure issues
Although there were no details about the cause of the accident, community members have often complained to police about the condition of roads in the Sirmaur-Solan border area. The winter fog, narrowness in transit paths and faults in personal vehicles often combine to make these scenic roads death traps.
The state government has also expressed condolences to the bereaved families. The government of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has ordered the district administration to address immediate ex-gratia relief to the next of kin and to provide the best possible help to the survivors.
Road Safety in the Hills
The incident follows a series of small accidents in the region over the past couple of months and reignites the debate over the safety of private transport buses in Himachal’s high-altitude zones. The police have filed a case filed on negligence and are studying if mechanical failure or human error caused this afternoon’s horror.
