25 pilgrims killed as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand
Baku, June 6, AZERTAC
Twenty-five pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh died and three were critically injured on Sunday evening when the bus in which they were travelling fell into a deep gorge en route to the Yamunotri temple in Uttarkashi district, according to the Hindu.
The accident took place near Rikhavu khadd on the way to the Himalayan shrine around two kilometres from Damta on NH-94, Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal said.
The pilgrims were from Panna district in Madhya Pradesh, Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said.
Besides the driver and the helper, there were 28 passengers on the bus.
Seventeen bodies have been recovered so far, and a search is on for the rest, Patwal said.
Three people injured in the accident have been admitted to the Community Health Centre in Damta.
Police and SDRF teams have been rushed to the spot, besides ambulances from Badkot, Nagaon and Nainbagh.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the disaster control room at the secretariat immediately after being informed about the accident. He asked the district magistrate of Uttarkashi to speed up relief and rescue operations.
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