my uttarakhand news Bureau
New Tehri, 24 Nov: A devastating accident occurred this morning near Kunjapuri temple in the Tehri district when a bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat and Delhi plunged into a gorge near Kunjapuri Temple in Narendranagar. The bus, carrying pilgrims who had travelled to the temple for darshan, went off the road and fell nearly 70 to 100 metres into the gorge, resulting in the death of at least five pilgrims with several others injured. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed regret at the tragedy and has prayed for those who lost their lives in the accident.
The District Control Room, Tehri, informed the SDRF Battalion Control Room that the bus had met with the accident near Kunjapuri–Hindolakhal under the Narendranagar police station area. Acting swiftly on the instructions of SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi, five SDRF teams from Post Dhalwala, Post Koti Colony, and the Battalion Headquarters were dispatched to the site. The local residents immediately began rescue operations and they were soon joined by police and administrative teams who rushed to extract the injured from the wreckage.
District Disaster Management Officer Brijesh Bhatt confirmed that five people, including four women and one man, had died in the accident. Three injured passengers were admitted to AIIMS Rishikesh, while others were taken to Shri Dev Suman Sub-District Hospital, Narendranagar. Seventeen passengers sustained minor or no injuries.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police JR Joshi, the bus had carried pilgrims from Gujarat and Delhi. The investigations are underway. He noted that some passengers were thrown out of the bus due to the impact. SSP, Dehradun, Ajai Singh shared that the pilgrims had been staying at an ashram in Muni Ki Reti near Rishikesh and had travelled to Kunjapuri Temple for darshan. The accident occurred during their return journey.
Earlier in the day, 28 pilgrims had reached Kunjapuri Temple from Rishikesh. On the return, several pilgrims boarded bus number UK14PA1769, while others were preparing to board. As soon as the driver started the vehicle, he lost control of the bus and plunged into the gorge. Thirteen injured were admitted to Shri Dev Suman Hospital, Narendranagar, while two in serious condition were referred to AIIMS Rishikesh. Tehsildar Ayodhya Prasad Uniyal, Deputy Superintendent of Police Surendra Singh Bhandari, and Station In-Charge Sanjay Mishra reached the spot immediately after receiving the news.
Prima facie inquiry indicates that brake failure may have caused the bus to become uncontrollable. Tehri Police and SDRF teams carried out rescue operations, confirming five deaths and 20 injuries, with two to three passengers reported to be in critical condition. Chief Medical Officer Tehri, Dr Shyam Vijay, stated that the bus had 18 passengers on board, of whom five died and 13 were injured. Inspector Sanjay Mishra added that the pilgrims had come to attend a satsang at Dayanand Ashram in Muni Ki Reti before travelling to the temple. The exact cause of the accident will be known only after investigation.
CM Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and stated that the news of the bus accident near Kunjapuri Temple in Narendranagar, Tehri, is extremely saddening. He added that he prays to God to grant peace to the departed souls and give strength to the grieving families to bear this immense loss. The CM added that he is in constant contact with the local officials regarding this matter and is praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
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