12 die as Tata Sumo plunges into gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

A vehicle with many passengers plunged into a 700-metre-deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday.

Chamoli:In a tragic incident, 12 persons including two women died and three others were injured when a vehicle plunged into a 700-metre-deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday, police said. The accident occurred on the Urgam-Palla road. According to police, a Tata Sumo with 17 passengers went out of control and fell into the gorge. On receiving information, DM Chamoli and SSP reached the spot. The SDRF and police personnel are carrying out the rescue operation.

Due to the depth and darkness, the police faced difficulty during the rescue operation, the Uttarakhand SDRF has confirmed on its Twitter handle. The injured have been shifted to the hospital for treatment. Two people escaped unhurt.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami gave instructions for a magisterial inquiry into the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each to the families of the deceased. He also directed to ensure free treatment to the injured in the accident. The rescue operation was going on at the site. Meanwhile, District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana and Superintendent of Police Pramendra Dobal are supervising the rescue operation.