3 die, 24 injured as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

Uttarkashi, June 12

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Three women died while 24 people were injured when a bus driver lost control over the vehicle and it fell into a gorge near Gangnani on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarakhand, police said on Wednesday.

According to them, the incident occurred 50 km from Gangnani on Tuesday night. The bus went out of the driver’s control, broke the crash barrier, fell into the gorge and got stuck on a tree before it could hit the bottom, police officials said.

The bus was going towards Uttarkashi from Gangotri with 27 pilgrims, a police officer said, adding that rescue and relief work began promptly and the injured were sent to Uttarkashi District Hospital and Bhatwadi Health Centre.

The deceased have been identified as Deepa Tiwari, a resident of Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand; Neema Teda and Meena Rekwal, both residents of Haldwani; police said.

At this same place in 2010, a truck fell into a gorge, killing 27 kanwariyas, while in 2023, seven pilgrims died in a bus accident here.