In a tragic incident, ten people, including a woman and two children, died and four others were injured when a boulder came crashing down on their shacks where they were asleep along Hanol motor road in Tyuni area of Uttarakhand late on Sunday night.
The persons who died were identified as Nepali labourers employed in road works. One of the injured was admitted at Doon Hospital in a critical condition. Sources said the accident occurred when a storm was raging in the area. The administration has released Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased. Governor Krishan Kant Paul and Chief Minister Harish Rawat among others have expressed grief over the incident and issued directions to the local administration to provide immediate relief to all those affected by the tragedy.
Additional DM Jharna Kamthan said that all of the deceased are Nepali nationals. They have been identified as Deepak (55), Kumari Devi (45), Sajna (18), Tara (17) , Bharat (22), Bavinder (40), Vinita (40), Jeevan (22), Ghan Bahadur (55) and Ghankumari (50). The injured are Janak (40), Shakti Bahadur (23), Ghyan (26) and Chemraj (12). State Home Minister Pritam Singh, Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal, DM Ravinath Raman, SDM and other officers rushed to the incident site on being informed. A relief and rescue team comprising officials of various departments was also rushed. The administration has released Rs four lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased.
DM Raman reached the spot and monitored relief and rescue operation, it is learnt. A team of doctors also reached the spot and thereafter, the bodies were sent for postmortem. It is learnt that the boulder loosened and fell right on the shacks where they were sleeping as an impact of the strong wind that was blowing there. Around half a dozen roofs had been blown away during the storm, the administrative officials said.