25 die as bus with Yamunotri pilgrims falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

June 5: Twenty-five pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh died and three were critically injured on Sunday evening when the bus in which they were travelling fell into a deep gorge en route to the Yamunotri temple in Uttarkashi district. A rescue operation by the police and SDRF teams is currently underway. Besides the driver and the helper, there were 28 passengers on the bus. Seventeen bodies have been recovered so far, and a search is on for the rest.

The prime minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident in Uttarakhand. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.