Jaipur, April 19 (IANS) In a tragic accident near the Pushkar Valley in Rajasthan’s Ajmer, a passenger bus plunged nearly 200 feet into a gorge on Sunday, leaving two women dead and 31 others injured, officials said.

The bus, carrying 33 passengers, was travelling from Ajmer to Pushkar.

The passengers were reportedly travelling to Pisangaon to attend a ‘Mayra’ ceremony when the accident occurred, nearly three kilometre before Pushkar.

Eyewitnesses and passersby played a crucial role in the rescue operation.

With no immediate equipment available, locals improvised ropes using clothing to pull injured passengers out of the deep gorge.

Emergency teams, including the SDRF, Civil Defence, and local police, later joined the rescue efforts.

According to Rural Circle Officer Ramchandra Chaudhary, the accident took place just beyond Sanjhisar as the bus was travelling from Ajmer toward Pushkar.

The vehicle reportedly went out of control, veered off the road, and plunged into the gorge, eventually getting stuck amid dense trees and bushes about 200 feet below.

All 33 passengers were initially taken to the government hospital in Pushkar and later referred to the JLN Hospital in Ajmer.

Two women, Pooja (28), wife of Vijay Singh Gurjar, and Vimla Devi (50), wife of Om Prakash Gurjar, succumbed to their injuries. Both were residents of Ajmer.

A total of 30 people are currently undergoing treatment at the JLN Hospital and one injured person has been discharged.

Arvind Khare, Superintendent of JLN Hospital, confirmed that the injured are being treated across multiple wards.

The bus driver reportedly fled the site following the accident and is currently being traced.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.

Police teams have inspected the accident site, and further action will be taken based on the findings.

Ajmer Collector Lok Bandhu and Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Aggarwal, along with other administrative and police officials, visited the JLN Hospital to assess the situation and interact with the injured passengers.

The accident also led to a major traffic jam in the Pushkar Valley, causing significant disruption for several hours.

Authorities are collecting statements from the injured to put together the sequence of events.

Preliminary findings suggest the bus lost control before veering off the road.

Further updates are awaited as the investigation progresses.

–IANS

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