22 pilgrims returning from the Gangotri shrine met a tragic end as their bus fell into the Bhagirathi river on 23 May, 2017. The incident took place in Dharasu in Uttarkashi District of Uttrakhand.
Seven others got injured in this mishap, and according to Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Shrivastava, they were admitted to the district hospitals in Uttarkashi and Chinyalisaur.
(Image Source: The Times of India)
The bus which was ferrying 29 pilgrims, all of whom were from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, fell approximately 300 meters down the road into the river as the driver lost control of the wheel. After hours of rescue operations that were carried out, the mangled remains of the dead and few that were trapped were taken out. The rescue operations were conducted with the help of ITBP, SDRF and police force.
The pilgrims were on a Chardham Yatra and were traveling from Gangotri in the Himalayas to Haridwar, from where they were further going to Kedarnath.
The Chief Minister Of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a sum of Rs 2 Lakh to be given to the next of kin of those who lost their life in this mishap. He has also requested the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to arrange for a special train bogey to bring the dead bodies to their hometown in Madhya Pradesh. Those who got injured in this fatal accident would be compensated with a monetary amount of Rs 50,000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed his grief on the entire incident and has offered his condolence to the families of the deceased and wished for a speedy recovery of the injured. Many other tourists are stranded in the area of Uttrakhand due to landslides that are quite frequent in that region.
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