Uttarkashi: Twenty-six pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh died and three were critically injured on Sunday evening when the bus in which they were travelling fell into a deep gorge en route to the Yamunotri temple in Uttarkashi district.
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, and a search is on for the rest, Patwal said.
Three people injured in the accident have been admitted to the Community Health Centre in Damta.
Police and SDRF teams have been rushed to the spot, besides 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.
तीर्थ यात्री बस हादसे के बाद मध्यप्रदेश के श्रद्धालुओं के राहत-बचाव कार्य में तत्परता और सेवा भाव के लिए उत्तराखंड के मुख्यमंत्री श्री @pushkardhami जी, उनकी प्रशासनिक टीम, NDRF, SDRF के दलों के प्रति मैं ही नहीं बल्कि पूरा मध्यप्रदेश हृदय से आभारी है।
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) June 5, 2022
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also spoke to Dhami for an update on the situation.
Chouhan said he along with state minister Bijendra Pratap Singh, DGP Sudhir Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora and other officials were leaving for Dehradun from Bhopal.
"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.
मैं उत्तराखंड के मुख्यमंत्री श्री @pushkardhami
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) June 5, 2022
जी और प्रशासन की टीम का त्वरित कार्रवाई के लिए हृदय से धन्यवाद देता हूं। उत्तराखंड की टीम अभी रात में भी यहां हैं।
पन्ना के भाई बहनों से कहना चाहता हूं कि दूसरी बस के लोग सुरक्षित हैं, उन्हें लेकर प्रातः देहरादून रवाना होंगे।
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 Rs 5 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured persons. "Medical treatment of the injured is our priority," Chouhan added. (PTI)
