Dehradun: Three Kanwariyas were killed and 18 others injured after a truck carrying 21 pilgrims overturned near Khedi on the Rishikesh-Chamba highway in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal on Wednesday morning, police said.
The truck, travelling from Sikandrabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr to Dharali (18 km before Gangotri Dham) in Uttarkashi, overturned approximately 42 km from Rishikesh around 10 am.
“As the truck overturned, the victims were trapped under the vehicle. We used multiple JCBs to rescue them. Three Kanwariyas died at the accident spot,” Tehri Garhwal district magistrate Nitika Khandelwal said.
Police identified the deceased as Sunil Saini (42), Vicky (27), and Sanjay Singh (46), all residents of Bulandshahr.
Two of the injured Kanwariyas were shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh, while others were admitted to a hospital in Narendra Nagar. “Rescue teams, including personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), carried out the relief and rescue operation,” Khandelwal added.
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{{/usCountry}}Police are yet to determine the exact cause of the accident. However, survivors informed authorities that the truck’s brakes failed while navigating a turn. “For now, we can’t say for certain what caused the accident. The vehicle overturned on the edge of the road, and a crash barrier prevented it from plunging into the gorge. The injured individuals told me that the brakes failed,” the DM said.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his condolences to the Kanwar pilgrims who lost their lives in the tragic accident.