Four persons died, one is missing and several were injured of whom eight are critical following three separate road accidents in the state on Tuesday. While two of the mishaps occurred in Chamoli district, one took place in Pauri. In Pauri, at Pokhda Sanglakoti road Garhwal Motors Owner’s Union (GMOU) bus fell down the mountain into a gorge, killing three people on the spot and leaving several others injured. In Chamoli district, a motorbike and a jeep collided and then fell on the road below 20 metre on Ghighran road, Gopeshwar killing one woman on the spot and injuring others. In another accident in Chamoli, an SSB Gypsy taking deputy commandant Ashok Kumar fell into the Pindar river. The driver was rescued while the deputy commandant and the Gypsy have still not been recovered.
Pauri Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dilip Singh Kunwar said, “The bus of GMOU fell into the gorge on Tuesday, resulting in the death of three people on the spot. Remaining 21 passengers were inured, eight of whom are in critical condition. We are investigation about the cause of accident.”
Chamoli Superintendent of Police (SP) Yashwant Singh Chauhan said, “Two accidents happened on Tuesday, both at around 1:30 pm in the afternoon. In one accident a motorbike and jeep collided. A lady was declared brought dead in the hospital. Several others including both the driver and the rider are injured. In another accident an SSB Gypsy fell into the river. The driver was rescued, he was stuck on a boulder, but the assistant commandant on the other hand has still not been found. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.”
SP and Commandant of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Tripti Bhatt said, “Search mission for the Assistant Commandant of SSB Ashok Kumar is ongoing. We have sent our team which specialises in search and rescue in water there which raft and other necessary equipment. The driver was rescued earlier.”
The deceased in the case has been identified as Purni Devi (45). The injured include three minors Kanak (5), Sachin (14) and one and a half year old Divyanshu. The others injured have been identified as Santosh (20), Bharat (50), driver Ashish (23), Maluk Lal (58), Nandi Devi (45), Rakhi (22), Saroj (25), Anita Devi (45) and motorbike rider Saurabh Bhatt (18).