One killed, 4 injured as shooting stones hit bus in Himachal's Chamba

Shimla, Jul 5 (PTI) Shooting stones from a hillside hit a bus travelling on the Chamba-Bharmour road in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district on Sunday, leaving a person dead and four injured. The victims were returning from 'Shiva Nuala' -- a night-long ritual practise of the Gaddi community -- at the Chaurasi temple complex in Bharmour, when the incident took place. The deceased -- identified as Sahil Thakur, resident of Gared village in Chamba -- succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital. The injured, including bus driver Kulwinder Singh and passengers Guddu Devi, Binta and Gilma Devi, were admitted to Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College, Chamba. There were around 40 passengers on the bus when the tragedy struck. A police team rushed to the spot after receiving information and shifted the injured to hospital. Chamba Superintendent of Police Vijay Saklani said investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident. Shooting stones -- small pieces of rock rapidly rolling down hill slopes -- are often triggered by rainfall or loose soil and may cause fatal accidents in mountainous regions. PTI BPL ARB ARB