11 killed as vehicle falls into gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

Eleven people were killed and three injured as a passenger vehicle fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday, police said.

A Tata Sumo carrying 16 passengers fell into a gorge at Urgam in Joshimath area of the district at around 4 pm, Chamoli SP Pramendra Dobhal said.

The passengers were on their way to Palla Jakhol village from Joshimath when the accident occurred, the State Emergency Operation Centre in Dehradun said.

Two of the occupants jumped out of the vehicle in the nick of time, the SP said.

Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have rushed to the spot and rescue operations are under way.

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The gorge is around 300 metres deep and reaching the spot where the remains of the vehicle are lying is difficult, an eyewitness told PTI over the phone.

The vehicle is said to have been overloaded with some occupants also sitting on its roof.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of those killed.

He spoke to the District Magistrate of Chamoli Himanshu Khurana over the phone and asked him to expedite the rescue efforts. Dhami also asked the DM to ensure that free medical treatment is provided to the injured.