11 pilgrims killed in U’khand mishap

Dehradun: Eleven people, many of them in their teens, were killed and 19 injured in Champawat district on Friday when a speeding truck rammed into a group of pilgrims walking to the Purnagiri temple. Most of the pilgrims were from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

Eleven pilgrims on their way to the Maa Purnyagiri shrine were mowed down by a speeding mini truck in Uttarakhand’s Champawat district on Friday morning.

The pilgrims were a part of a group of 250 devotees who were walking barefoot towards the shrine which is located close to the Nepal border.

The mini truck was coming from Sitraganj and was on its way to Tanakpur when it ran through 30- odd pilgrims.

The accident also left about 30 devotees injured and five of them are in a critical state. All of them have been admitted to nearby hospitals.

A search has been launched to nab the driver of the mini truck who fled the spot. The vehicle is registered in Khatima and the police is trying to identify the driver and arrest him.

According to reports, many of the bodies were seen strewn in pieces over the road. All the deceased are residents of Bahedi in Bareilly district.

The Army has been called in to help in the rescue and relief operations along with the district authorities.

The family members of the deceased as well as injured persons have been informed and the bodies have been sent for post- mortem.

CM Yogi Adityanath has announced a relief of ` 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and a sum of ` 50,000 each for those injured.