16 people killed as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

Sixteeen people were killed and seventeen injured on Saturday when a bus in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in Tehri district of Uttarakhand.

A total of 33 persons were on board the bus when it fell into a 300 ft deep gorge near Juyalgarh, Tehri Superintendent of Police Mukhtar Mohsin said.

Nearly half of the bus was submerged in a local stream, which joins River Alaknanda, after the accident, he said.

The bus was going from Haridwar to Karnaprayag. The mishap occurred as the driver tried to overtake another vehicle, he said.

16 bodies have been recovered and 17 persons were rescued alive from the mangled remains of the bus, Moshin told PTI on phone. Tehri is about 120 km from Dehradun.

All the injured were admitted to Srinagar base hospital from where two of them who had sustained minor injuries were discharged after first aid. Rest of them are undergoing treatment.

Expressing deep shock at the loss of lives in the accident, Chief Minister Harish Rawat announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.