Uttarakhand: Snake on the road caused Pauri Garhwal accident, says report; 25 dead

25 people died on Tuesday night and 21 were seriously injured after a bus carrying a marriage party fell into a gorge in the state's Pauri Garhwal district. According to reports, the accident took place when the car in which the groom was traveling, suddenly applied brakes to save a snake that had suddenly surfaced on the road. 

Dharmendra Upadhyay, who was in the car, told Hindustan that as the car driver applied brakes, the bus driver was forced to overtake. After a few meters, the bus fell into the gorge. The groom, his sister, his sister-in-law, and the priest were stunned by the accident. When they reached the site of the accident, all they could hear were the screams of the injured people. 

The accident took place in the Dhumakot area of the district. The local police and SDRF reached the area and recovered 25 bodies and rescued 21 injured people. The injured have been admitted to the hospital.

The incident comes months after 26 pilgrims died in an accident on the Yamunotri highway.  

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ended all his programs. 

The bus was carrying between 45-50 people who were part of a marriage procession. The incident took place in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district.

The death toll is expected to increase as some of the injured persons are very serious. 

Haridwar's SP city Swatantra Kumar Singh had informed the media that the marriage procession left from the Laldhang area.

The police are coordinating with the family members of the accident victims.

The Pauri Police and SDRF are at the spot to provide rescue and relief.