33 dead, 19 injured as bus crashes into gorge in Pauri district of Uttarakhand

Dehradun, October 5, 2022

At least 33 people died and 19 others suffered injuries when a bus carrying a wedding party veered off the road and crashed into a deep gorge in Pauri district of Uttarakhand last night.

The bus was carrying more than 50 people when the mishap occurred, officials said.

Local people as well as the police and district administration officials rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.

Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also rushed to the spot.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, the sources said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was monitoring the rescue operations from the Disaster Control Centre in Dehradun last night, reached the scene of the accident today and was briefed about the rescue and relief efforts.

He also visited the bereaved families and directed the local administration to provide the best possible treatment to the injured.

Dhami announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next-of-kin of the deceased passengers, Rs 1 lakh each for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the mishap.

"The bus accident in Pauri, Uttarakhand is heart-rending. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those who have been injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway. All possible assistance will be provided to those affected," he said on Twitter.

Modi has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh for the next-of-kin of those who died in the mishap and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

NNN