19 killed in 3 road accidents
PM Modi sanctions ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for kin of deceased in Champawat accident
RUDRAPUR: At least 19 people were killed in three separate road accidents in the state since Monday night, police said on Tuesday.
According to police, 14 people died in Champawat after their vehicle fell into a gorge on Monday night while three others died in Kotdwar of Pauri district and two more in Tehri district.
Speaking about the Champawat accident, superintendent of police Devendra Pincha said, “Total 14 persons, including six women and a minor, lost their lives. Rescue teams have recovered all the bodies.”
According to police, the 14 people were returning from a wedding in Tanakpur on Monday night when the accident took place around 10 pm on the Sukhidhang-Danda-Minar road, around 140-km from Rudrapur.
The driver and cleaner, Prakash Ram of Pati village and Trilok Ram of Kaknai village respectively, sustained injuries in the accident. Prakash Ram and another injured passenger alerted the villagers, who in turn informed the police, officials said.
While Prakash has been admitted to the district hospital in Champawat,Trilok is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Tanakpur, said a police official familiar with the matter.
“Post-mortem of the deceased is being carried out at the spot on the request of relatives,” said Pincha.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
“The accident in Champawat of Uttarakhand is heart-wrenching. I express condolence to the families of the deceased. Local administration is conducting a relief and rescue operation,” Modi tweeted. He sanctioned ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the PM’s relief fund.
Dhami said, “Instructions have been given to the local administration to carry out relief and rescue operations promptly.”
Six of the 14 deceased were from Kaknai village.
In another accident, three people died and two others were injured after their car fell into a ditch on Nazibabad-Buakhal national highway around 25-km from Kotdwar in Pauri district on Tuesday. The five people, all teachers at the government intermediate college in Saari under Jaiharkhal block, were on their way to college from Kotdwar. At about 9 am, their car fell into a gorge near Krainkhal bend, under Lansdowne police station.
“On information, police teams from Dugadda and Gumkhal rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Three teachers including two women died on the spot. The area where the accident took place is under
Lansdowne police station,” said Maneesha Joshi, additional superintendent of police, Kotdwar.
The accident victims have been identified as Poonam Rawat (45) of Manpur Colony, Vandana Bhandari (42) and Deepak Shah (38) all from Kotdwar. Arun Kumar and Jayveer Singh sustained injuries. Both injured have been admitted in the base hospital, Kotdwar, said police.
In Rishikesh, a car fell into a gorge at about 11 am on Tuesday in the Brahmpuri area. Two people were killed. “Four persons, including a woman, were travelling in a car when the accident took place. Ramdayal of Narendranagar and Sanjay Sajwan of
Chamba lost their lives. Two injured have been admitted in AIIMS in Rishikesh,” said Ritesh Shah, in-charge, Rishikesh police station.