Uttarakhand tempo traveller accident: One more death takes toll to 15; 4 critical

Dehradun, Jun 16 (PTI) A person injured in the tempo traveller accident in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll to 15, while the condition of four of the 11 injured is still critical, officials said on Sunday.

A person who was brought to AIIMS, Rishikesh by air ambulance after the accident on Saturday died late at night, trauma surgeon Ruby Kataria said.

A tempo traveller carrying tourists skidded off the Badrinath national highway, rolled 200 metres down a gorge and fell into Alaknanda river, killing or injuring all 26 people present in it. Ten people died on the spot near Raitoli village, about four kilometres from Rudraprayag district headquarters.

Kataria said the patient was brought to the hospital in a "brain dead" condition after which he was put on life support but he could not be saved.

The doctor said that the remaining four injured at the hospital are also in critical condition and it will take a lot of time to shift them to the ward.

Seven persons seriously injured in the accident were taken to AIIMS, Rishikesh through a heli-ambulance. Two of them died before reaching the hospital.

At Rudraprayag district hospital, five accident victims admitted to Rudraprayag District Hospital were discharged on Sunday. The other two victims will be discharged on Monday, officials said.

A team led by Pauri's divisional transport officer probing the accident went to the accident site and will submit its detailed investigation report by Monday.

Uttarakhand Joint Transport Commissioner Sanat Singh said that prima facie the accident is believed to have happened because the driver was tired or drowsy due to overnight travel but the investigation team that has technical experts will determine the real reason.

Accidents in such mountainous parts happen due to narrow and bad roads but the road at the Rudraprayag accident site was in good condition and around six metres wide, he said.

Jagmohan Rawat, president of Gopinath Taxi-Sumo Vehicle Association in Rudraprayag, said that accidents happen in these parts as drivers from other states do not have the experience of driving in the mountains. He said that the tempo traveller in this case was booked from Delhi-NCR and the tourists were visiting Chopta.

Rawat also questioned why there were 26 people in the vehicle, more than the prescribed capacity of 20, and said the accident happened after passing through half a dozen check posts within the state's border.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thanked villagers who reached the accident site and helped out with the relief and rescue operations.

In a post on X, the Dhami said, "It has been a tradition of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand to serve tourists coming from all over the country with the spirit of 'Atithi Devo Bhava'." According to Uttarakhand government data, 1,674 accidents were reported in the state in 2022, in which 1,042 people died and 1,613 were injured. The country reported 4,61,312 road accidents with 1,68,491 deaths and 4,43,366 injuries the same year. PTI