13 killed in landslide in Uttarakhand after vehicle falls in gorge
DEHRADUN: At least 13 people were killed and two were seriously injured when a 22-seater passenger vehicle fell into a 200-metre gorge after being hit by landslide on Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district on Monday. The two survivors were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were undergoing treatment, informed officials.
Officials of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said the incident happened at around 2pm when the vehicle carrying 15 passengers, coming from Gangotri to Uttarkashi, was hit by boulders that rolled down the hills due to a landslide near Sanglai area. In the impact, the vehicle fell into a 200-metre gorge, they said.
“Thirteen passengers, including 10 men and three women, died on the spot. Their bodies were recovered from the spot by the rescue team comprising SDRF team members and police,” said Praveen Alok, SDRF official at Dehradun command centre.
“Two of the passengers, both 13-year-old girls, identified as Meenakshi and Radhika, sur- vived, but sustained serious injuries as they fell off the vehicle before it went down in the gorge,” Alok added.
Both the girls were residents of Bhakoli village . The officials are yet to release official information about the deceased persons. “A combing operation is being undertaken by the rescue team in the area to check if there are any more casualties or survivors.”
The villagers, mainly from Uttarkashi district, were returning with a traditional Naag (Snake) Doli (Palanquin) when the accident occurred.
District magistrate of Uttarkashi, Ashish Chuahan, rushed to the spot. He couldn’t be contacted due to mobile network connectivity problem in the area.
On August 28, a bus fell into a gorge in Tehri Garhwal, claiming two lives while 34 passengers were injured.
On August 25, a vehicle carrying 12 passengers fell into a gorge in which two people died. The vehicle was coming from Uttarkashi and was headed for Chamba.
The worst accident took place on July 2 when a bus fell into a gorge in Pauri district ,killing 48 passengers.