The Catholic Bishops Conference of India has expressed their condolences at a school bus accident in the Himalayan foothills in the north, in which at least 30 were killed, mostly children. The tragedy occurred about 325 km from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh state, when a school bus carrying home some 40 students from their school in Nurpur in Kangra district, plunged some 60 meters into a gorge.
As reported by Vaticannews, CBCI Secretary-General, His Grace Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas remarked that “ It is a very sad day for us. Most of the children were below 10 years of age, whom the parents looked up to as they grew. Frequent road accidents in India are claiming many lives because road safety norms are disregarded. I hope the government will do something to ensure safety to children.”
His Excellency Bishop Theodore also highlighted the poor state of healthcare in India, saying many of the injured children had to be taken to the nearby state of Punjab because of inadequate hospitals in Himachal Pradesh.
