Uttarakhand: 15 dead as bus carrying 30 pilgrims on way to Yamunotri falls into gorge
Highlights
- A bus carrying 28 pilgrims from Panna district in MP fell into a gorge near Damta in Uttarakhand
- 25 people were confirmed dead while 6 injured have been sent to the hospital: Officials
- PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for next of kin who lost their lives in incident
Uttarakhand: A bus carrying 28 pilgrims from Panna district in Madhya Pradesh fell into a gorge near Damta in Uttarkashi district on Sunday, officials said. DGP Ashok Kumar said that the bodies of 25 people have been recovered while 6 injured have been sent to the hospital. He added that police and SDRF are on the spot.
Senior officials, including Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela, have rushed to the spot. Yamunotri along with the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri are commonly known as Char Dham.
CM responds
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the district administration has been directed for speedy relief and rescue work. "I myself have kept an eye on the situation after reaching the disaster control room. Local administration and SDRF teams are engaged in rescue work and NDRF team is also reaching there soon," the CM wrote in a tweet.
In another tweet, the CM expressed his condolences and said, "May God grant the departed souls a place at his feet and strength to the family members to bear this pain. Also, I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured."
Condolences from leaders
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in a tweet in Hindi, expressed his condolences over the unfortunate incident. Sources suggest that Chouhan will leave for Uttarakhand tonight.
"The death of pilgrims of Panna district of Madhya Pradesh after a bus going to Yamunotri Dham on pilgrimage to Chardham in Uttarakhand fell into a gorge. May God grant peace to the departed souls and give strength to the bereaved family members to bear the loss," the CM wrote.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah too expressed his condolences. "It is very sad to hear about the bus of devotees falling into the gorge in Uttarakhand. I have spoken to the Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami ji on this. Local administration and SDRF teams are engaged in rescue work and the injured are being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. NDRF is also reaching there soon," he wrote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in all possible assistance on the spot."
PM announces ex-gratia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin who lost their lives in the tragic accident, said the PM's office in a tweet.
