23 pilgrims from Indore killed in bus accident in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi

The pilgrims had gone to Dehradun by train and were on their way to Kedarnath by bus when the accident occurred

At least 23 pilgrims from Indore district of Madhya Pradesh were killed when the bus they were travelling in fell into the Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening, officials said.

Rescue personnel and locals during the search operation after the accident in Uttarkashmi. (ANI Twitter)

According to sources, the pilgrims had gone to Dehradun by train and were on their way to Kedarnath by bus when the accident occurred around 7pm near Nalupani, around 11 km from Dharasu.

Indore collector P Narahari said seven other persons were also injured in the accident.

All the victims were from Betma, Hatod and other nearby villages of Indore district.

They were part of a group that had gone from Indore for a pilgrimage of ‘Char dham’ in two buses.

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Officials said rescue operations were carried out with the help of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) , State Disaster Response Force and police but the faced difficulties due to the dark.

The injured were admitted to district hospitals in Uttarkashi and Chinyalisaur, said Uttarkashi district magistrate Ashish Shrivastava, adding that there were 29 pilgrims, mostly from Indore, in the bus at the time of the accident.

(With agency inputs)