26 MP pilgrims killed as bus en route to Yamunotri falls into gorge
At least 26 pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh were killed and four critically injured on Sunday when the bus carrying them to the Yamunotri temple Uttarkashi district fell into a deep gorge.
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.
The injured have been admitted to the Community Health Centre in Damta.
Uttarkashi bus accident | The search and rescue operation has concluded. A total of 26 people died in the accident, and 4 are injured. The injured have been sent to Higher Centre for their treatment: Uttarakhand Police
The bus had a total of 30 people, including 28 pilgrims. pic.twitter.com/5bfynKTpJE
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 6, 2022
The rescue operation which concluded on Sunday morning was conducted by police and SDRF teams, with the help of 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.
“Officials concerned have been instructed to investigate the accident. May God grant the departed souls a place at his feet and strength to their family members to bear the pain. Also, I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured,” Dhami said in a tweet in Hindi.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan immediately left for Dehradun along with state minister Bijendra Pratap Singh, DGP Sudhir Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora and other officials to take stock of the situation. On arrival, he met those injured in the accident.
“I’m here at the Disaster Control Room in Dehradun. I’ve taken complete information from the spot. DM, SP, DIG, NDRF and SDRF teams are present at the incident site. Two persons have not been traced yet. Three injured admitted to Max hospital,” Chouhan said in the morning before the rescue operation was concluded.
“I have talked to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Dhami ji over the phone and requested him to ensure adequate arrangements for the treatment of the injured,” he said in a tweet.
“I and my team are in constant touch with the Uttarakhand government and local district administration. The arrangements are being made to treat the injured and bring the bodies to Madhya Pradesh,” Chouhan said.
Chouhan said a team of his government from Delhi has already left for Uttarakhand to oversee the arrangements to shift the bodies to Madhya Pradesh and ensure the medical treatment of the injured.
He announced that ₹5 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured persons. “Medical treatment of the injured is our priority,” Chouhan added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Uttarakhand Governor Gurmit Singh expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.
“The news of the bus accident in Uttarakhand is very painful. I express my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in all possible assistance on the spot,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, quoting Modi.
“The prime minister has announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from the PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident in Uttarakhand. The injured would be given ₹50,000 each,” it added.
President Kovind expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.
“I feel pained by the sad news of the death of people in a bus accident in Uttarakhand,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
The Himalayan shrines of Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri are commonly known as Char Dham.
(With inputs from agencies)
