At least 23 Hindu pilgrims have been killed and seven others injures after a bus fell into the Bhagirathi River in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi.
The bus travelling towards Kedarnath was carrying devotees from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore when the accident took place near Nalupani, around 7pm on Tuesday, reports the Hindustan Times.
All the victims were from Betma, Hatod and other nearby villages of Indore district.
Uttarkashi district Magistrate Ashish Shrivastava said the injured had been admitted to district hospitals in Uttarkashi and Chinyalisaur.
There were 29 pilgrims, mostly from Indore, he added.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced compensation of Rs2 lakh for the family of the deceased.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also announced an ex-gratia of Rs1 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs50,000 to the injured.
According to the officials, the rescue operation was conducted by Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force and police.
There were two groups travelling on two buses for the "Char dham" pilgrimage.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
