At least 26 pilgrims killed, 4 injured as a bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

New Delhi: At least 26 pilgrims were killed and four others injured after a bus they were travelling fell into a gorge near Damta in Uttarakhand on Sunday evening.

The bus was carrying at least 32 pilgrims from the Panna district in Madhya Pradesh. The accident took place on the Yamunotri National Highway between Damta and Bernigad. Officials have reached the spot and started the rescue operation. The injured have been taken to Damta CHC, three km from the accident site.

President and Vice President have expressed pain on the loss of lives of people in a accident in Uttarakhand. President Ram Nath Kovind expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu expressed condolences to the affected families and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the bus accident in Uttarakhand is painful. In a tweet, Mr Modi offered condolence to the family members who have lost their loved ones in the accident. He said, under the supervision of the State Government, the local administration engaged in providing all possible assistance on the spot.

The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees each from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident in Uttarakhand. The injured would be given 50 thousand rupees each.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami. In a tweet, Mr Shah said, local administration and SDRF teams are engaged in rescue work and the injured are being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He said that NDRF team is also reaching the spot soon.

Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami has ordered a probe into the accident. He said in a tweet that as soon as the information is received, the district administration has been directed for speedy relief and rescue work.

According to Official sources, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Dhami are rushing to Damata on Monday.