Uttarakhand: Five dead, 23 injured as pilgrimage bus fell into gorge in Tehri district

At least five people died on Monday (Nov 24) after a bus with about 28 passengers fell into a deep gorge near Kunjapuri–Hindolakhal in the Narendra Nagar area of Tehri district, Uttarakhand, as per the report in the news agency ANI. The bus, which was carrying mostly devotees from Gujarat and Delhi on their way to the Kunjapuri Temple, slipped into a gorge nearly 70 meters deep. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said that 23 other passengers were also injured and taken to nearby hospitals.

Local officials, including the District Magistrate and police teams have reached the spot as soon as they were informed about the incident. SDRF teams, led by Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi also sent five groups from different locations to carry out rescue and relief operations.

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Uttarakhand CM Dhami expresses grief

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy through a post on his official X account.

He wrote: “The news of the bus accident near Kunjapuri Temple in Narendra Nagar, Tehri, is extremely heartbreaking. I pray to God that the departed souls find a place at His divine feet and that the bereaved families are granted the strength to endure this immense sorrow.”

“The injured in the accident are being sent to the nearest hospital by the district administration and SDRF, and the seriously injured have been referred to AIIMS Rishikesh. I am in constant contact with local authorities regarding this matter. I pray to God for the swift recovery of the injured”. he added.

The incident has raised serious concern in the area and again shows how dangerous the steep, narrow roads in Uttarakhand’s hill districts can be. Authorities are now trying to investigating what caused the accident.