8 killed as tempo falls into gorge in Uttarakhand, rescue operation underway

Around eight people were killed after a tempo traveller, with about 17 passengers onboard, fell into a deep gorge on the Rishikesh- Badrinath highway in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag on Saturday. The State Disaster Response Force and police teams are conducting the rescue operations, according to news agency ANI. Till now, two injured have been rushed to the hospital by an ambulance, it said.

IG Garhwal, Karan Singh Nagnyal says, “Rudraprayag SP is on the spot…The tempo traveller was coming from Noida (UP) towards Rudraprayag…It fell into a 150-200 metre deep gorge. 7 bodies have been recovered. 9 people were rushed to the hospital during which 1 of them died. The driver is very critically injured. So, it is not clear how many people were onboard the vehicle. Police, SDRF and local people are engaged in rescue operations…Rescue operation is underway.”

Reacting to the incident, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Very sad news was received about a tempo traveller accident in Rudraprayag district. The local administration and SDRF teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. The injured have been sent to the nearest medical centre for treatment. The district magistrate has been ordered to investigate the incident.”