2 Pilgrims Washed Away As Temporary Bridge Collapses In Uttarakhand, Rescue Ops On As Several Stranded

The bridge collapsed due to a sudden increase in the water flow in a river in Uttarakhand's Devgad, leaving 30-40 pilgrims stranded.

In a tragic incident reported from Uttarakhand, a temporary bridge collapsed about eight-nine kilometers ahead of Gangotri on the Gomukh footpath on Friday. Due to this, around 30-40 pilgrims were stranded, while two others were washed away.

According to news agency ANI, the incident occurred due to a sudden increase in the water flow in a river flowing in Uttarakhand's Devgad.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team rushed to the spot, following the incident to help the stranded pilgims in crossing to swollen river safely.

SDRF team told ANI that around 16 pilgrims were rescued and the rescue operation is currently underway to bring back the other pilgrims safely.

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"We received information from the City Control Room (CCR) that some people had been trapped on an island near Robbers Cave (Guchhupani), for whose rescue an SDRF team is required," SDRF officials stated.

The SDRF team, along with sub-inspector Laxmi Rawat from Sahastradhara post, immediately left for the accident site, with the required rescue equipment, the report said.

Due to the immediate response of the SDRF, ten people trapped on the island were rescued and brought to a safe place. SDRF stated that the pilgrims crossed the river using a rope, but faced great difficulty due to the strong current of the river, ANI reported.

Torrential rains in Haridwar led to severe flooding last week, with water levels rising in the Ganga River. Several vehicles were seen floating on the water and the roads were completely submerged underwater.

The residents and tourists have been advised by local authorities against bathing in the river due to the prevailing conditions.

In view of the red alert issued by weather department due to heavy rains, government schools in three districts including Bageshwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital were ordered to remain closed for class one to twelve on July 4.