Excavator operators killed in Uttarakhand landslide

Three operators of earthmoving equipment have died after their vehicles fell into a deep gorge following a landslide on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway in Uttarakhand on Monday.

Tehri: Three operators of heavy earthmoving equipment were killed when the machines were hit by rocks and boulders during a landslide on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway-58 in Uttarakhand early Monday, officials said.

The three men were working at a construction site of the Chardham all-weather road project between Kaudilaya and Vyasi, Narendranagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Yukta Mishra said.

The vehicles fell into a deep gorge and the bodies are being recovered from the debris, she said.

The area has been witnessing heavy rains for the past few days and landslides are common during this time of the year in the hill state.

One of the earth movers was being operated by two persons and the other had one, Mishra said, adding that they died on the spot.

The Ganga river, which flows below the gorge, is also in spate, the officer said.

Several highways, including sections of the NH-58, are part of the under-construction Chardham road project in the state.

Prabhat and Rajesh, who were operating one of the vehicles, and Sanjiv Kumar who was in another vehicle were killed in the landslide. They were from Pathankot in Punjab, Mishra said.