Daijiworld Media Network - Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi, Nov 5: Five devotees were killed and two others remained missing after an Innova carrying seven people plunged into a deep gorge and fell into a river along the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district on Thursday.
The accident occurred near Gangnani, around 20 metres beyond a hot spring on the road towards Dabrani. The vehicle reportedly went out of control before plunging into the gorge and landing in the river.
The occupants were travelling to Gangotri Dham. According to preliminary information, six passengers were from Gujarat, while the seventh person was the driver. The vehicle had started its journey from the Hina area earlier in the morning.
Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and emergency medical teams rushed to the accident site after receiving information about the incident. Rescue teams recovered five bodies from the riverbank, while a search operation continued for the two missing occupants.
District Disaster Management Officer Shardul Gusain said rescue teams were deployed immediately after the accident was reported.
"On receiving information that an Innova had fallen into the river near Gangnani, police, SDRF and emergency service teams were sent to the spot. Rescue operations are under way. Five bodies have so far been recovered from the riverbank, and a search is continuing for the other occupants," he said.
Gusain added that the final casualty figures would be confirmed after the rescue operation was completed.
District Magistrate Prashant Arya directed the teams to coordinate relief and rescue operations. Personnel were searching along the riverbank and nearby areas amid difficult conditions at the accident site.
The exact cause of the accident was not immediately known. Officials had also not confirmed the identities of the victims as the search operation continued.
The Gangotri National Highway is an important route for pilgrims visiting the Himalayan shrine. The accident turned the devotees' pilgrimage into a tragedy, with families awaiting information about the two people still missing.
Authorities said the search would continue until all the occupants were accounted for.