23 pilgrims die as truck falls into gorge

The incident took place at Dabrani on Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway when the truck, which was on its on way to Gangotri, fell into the 150-metre-deep gorge killing 23 ‘kanwarias’ (shiv devotees), Uttarkashi district magistrate Saurabh Jain said. 

Twenty bodies have been recovered by the police and ITBP personnel, he said. Efforts are on to extricate three more bodies from the accident site.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

Heavy rain and floods in the last two days have left six others dead and thrown life out of gear in the state. Several important roads were washed away in the heavy floods which has left a large number of villages cut off.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. He said the state government was in touch with the Uttarkashi administration to bring the bodies of the deceased.