Nahan: Alertness of the driver, averted a major accident in Sirmaur district on Friday when a private bus veered off-road and hung dangerously on the roadside on National Highway-707 near Bohrad Khad in Shillai.

The lives of 24 passengers on board were saved when the driver applied the brakes and continued to press it till all the passengers disembarked the bus.

Later the passengers together with the cleaner saved the driver.

According to eyewitnesses, at around 4.00 pm the axle of the moving bus is said to have suddenly broken and the bus went out of control, heading towards the side of the road.

Realizing the danger, the driver without getting panicky displayed courage and immediately applied the brakes preventing the bus from plunging into the 300-meter-deep gorge.

Paonta Sahib DSP Bir Bahadur said that the driver, his assistant and all the passengers are safe.

Had the bus fallen into the ditch, a major accident could have occurred, he added.