Pilgrimage Bus from Gujarat Overturns in Tehri

A bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat to Kedarnath Dham overturned on the Tehri-Ghansali motor road on Wednesday, leaving 18 people injured, including three seriously. The incident took place in the afternoon near Daba Khale Naame Toke, approximately 1.5 kilometres past Tipri, when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle, which was travelling at high speed.

The impact of the crash caused panic among the passengers, all of whom were part of the Char Dham Yatra. Local villagers who witnessed the incident immediately contacted police and emergency services. Swift response teams, including the police, reached the site to carry out rescue operations.

Three of the injured – a woman, a child, and one other passenger – suffered severe injuries and were transported to the Primary Health Centre in Nandgaon using a 108 ambulance. Fifteen others with minor injuries received medical aid on-site.

All the occupants of the bus were pilgrims from Gujarat, travelling from Uttarkashi towards Kedarnath, one of the main destinations of the Char Dham pilgrimage. Authorities stated that the group had arranged the vehicle in Haridwar three days prior to the journey.

The police have confirmed that the condition of the rest of the travellers is being monitored, and additional support was provided at the scene.

This incident adds to a string of recent road mishaps in Uttarakhand. On Sunday, two individuals sustained serious injuries after their car plunged into a deep gorge at Kolukhet Pani Wala Band, located along the Mussoorie-Dehradun route. The victims were rescued with assistance from local residents and transferred to a medical facility in Dehradun.

Earlier, on May 27, four senior citizens lost their lives when their vehicle veered off the road and fell around 50 metres into a gorge in Tehri district. The victims had been returning from Badiyar Garh to Malgad after a religious function. 

The driver reportedly failed to navigate a narrow bend, resulting in the fatal crash. Emergency personnel from the Tehsil administration and the State Disaster Response Force retrieved the bodies and transported them to Srinagar’s base hospital.