INDORE: Panic spread in Betma town near Indore after reports about death of around 21 pilgrims in a bus accident in Uttarakhand spread through social media and WhatsApp messages on Tuesday evening.
A bus carrying the group of pilgrims from Indore fell into a gorge and got torn into pieces after hitting the rocks on the banks of Bhagirathi River at Nalupani Dharasu bend on Uttarkashi-Gangotri road in the evening.
The ill-fated passengers of the bus were a part of the larger group of 57 pilgrims, who left Indore for the pilgrimage on May 12. “Our bus from Indore had stopped at Rishikesh. The pilgrims had boarded two local Uttarakhand buses (27 seat buses) to move on to Gangotri, when one of the buses fell into the gorge,” Shashi Verma, tour operator.
Verma, who had booked the pilgrimage through an agent, claimed that passengers of the second bus were safe. “I am not able to contact the tour agent, who was apparently with the ill-fated bus,” he claimed.
Majority of the pilgrims hailed from Betma town. Some of the residents of Rangwasa village near Rau had also joined the tour, Verma said.
Residents from Karadia (Hatod) and Dhar were also part of the group, sources said.
Uttarakhand police claimed that 21 persons, including 16 women, from Indore district were killed in the accident.
“The bus broke into pieces at the bottom of the gorge near the banks of Bharathi river. The rescue operations could not be launched from the gorge bottom, so rope bridges were formed from the other bank to ferry the injured across to safety. The bodies were also moved in the same manner,” Uttarakhand’s Dharasu police station in-charge said.
Uttarakhand ADG Ram Singh Meena told TOI that six injured persons were rushed to a hospital in Chinyalisaur, which was made the nodal treatment centre.
Uttarkashi district collector Shridhar Babu said the injured have been identified as Bhagirath, Sanju Devi, Jitendra Singh, Balram Chouhan, Laxmi Devi and Bhavana. “The identities of the deceased are being ascertained,” he said.
Teams of SDRF, water police, ITBP and local police were in the process of searching for more bodies, some of which are believed to be washed away in the strong current.
Uttarkashi district officials said that gates of Joshiyara barrage were closed to bring down the water level in the river and help rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, Indore MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expressed condolence over the deaths of pilgrims in Uttarkashi and issued instructions to provide them immediate medical help. She also asked authorities to make arrangements to bring the bodies home.
