In another tragic road accident in the mountainous areas of Uttarakhand three persons lost their lives when a Jeep loaded with passengers fell into a gorge in Bhainsiachena block of Almora district on Wednesday morning. The ill fated vehicle was ferrying passengers from Almora to Berinag.
The police Circle Office (CO) of Almora R S Tolia confirmed that three persons lost their lives in the accident which occurred at 8 am. It is learnt that the driver of the vehicle lost control at a turn near Manglata Tani and the vehicle fell for about 50 meter into Vedini River.
The Tehsildar of the area, P D Sanwal said that the vehicle was ferrying eleven persons including driver. The locals accompanied police personnel in the rescue operation. In the accident Gaurav Kumar (21 years) resident of Punoli, Gangolihat, Ajay Kumar (21 years) resident of Jadapani, Gangolihat and luchali Devi (70 years) resident of Jadapani, Gangolihat lost their lives. Sanwal informed that the post mortem of dead was conducted at Seraghat CHC and their bodies were handed over to the family members. He said that all the injured were rushed to the Almora Base hospital.
The Governor and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand have expressed deep sorrow and anguish at the accident. The governor Krishan Kant Paul has expressed grief and prayed for the departed souls. He also expressed concern at frequent accidents in various parts of the state and sought information about these accidents from the officials concerned. Paul highlighted the need to take additional measures to be taken to ensure safety of passengers on Yatra routes and other hill roads for the forthcoming monsoon season. It is pertinent to mention here that road accidents have been taking place at an alarming frequency especially in the mountainous regions of the state for some time now. The accidents are generally caused by a variety of reasons including human error, condition of roads and State of vehicles. Critics opine that the authorities have not been able to do much when it comes to effective action for addressing the avoidable causes of road mishaps in Uttarakhand.