Uttarakhand: 14 Dead After Vehicle Falls Into Gorge, Bodies Recovered After 11-Hour Operation

Kumaon DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne said that the accident occurred early morning today when they were returning from a wedding ceremony. 

Police and medical officials during a rescue operation, after a vehicle fell into a gorge near Sukhidang Reetha Sahib Road, in Champawat, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. At least 11 people died and 2 people are reported to be injured. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Fourteen people returning from a wedding died and two were injured after their vehicle fell into a deep gorge on the Sukhidhang-Dandaminar road in Uttarakhand's Champawat district on Monday night.

Kumaon DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne said that the accident occurred around 10 pm on Monday when they were returning from a wedding ceremony. Five women, a four-year-old girl and a teenaged boy are among the dead.

The seriously injured driver and another person have been admitted to the district hospital for treatment, added the DIG. The deceased persons belonged to the Danda and Kathoti villages of Kakanai in Uttarakhand.

The accident occurred when the victims were returning from a wedding in Tanakpur to Danda Kaknai village.

However, the information reached authorities only by around 3 am on Tuesday after which rescue teams were rushed to the spot, an official at the Champawat district disaster management office said.

On Tuesday, the bodies were recovered from the gorge after a nearly 11-hour-long rescue operation, Champawat Superintendent of Police (SP) Devendra Pincha told PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident in Uttarakhand.

"PM @narendramodi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to an accident in Uttarakhand," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

The injured would be given Rs. 50,000, it said.

Five more lives were lost in separate accidents in Pauri and Tehri districts on Tuesday, the police said. Three teachers were killed near Kotdwar when the vehicle in which they were travelling fell into a gorge, while two people died when their car fell into a gorge near Gooler in Tehri district, PTI reported.