Uttarkashi: One person died and eight others were injured after huge boulders came tumbling down a hill and fell on the road near Dabrani on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi on Friday.
The mishap occurred in the afternoon and many vehicles got trapped under the debris. The injured were rescued by police. All are learnt to be residents of Dehradun and were sent to Harshil for treatment.
Medical Officer in-charge of Harshil Primary Health Center, Dr. Vikram Mandal said eight people were brought from the accident spot to the health centre. They have suffered minor injuries and treatment is on, he said.
Traffic on both sides of the highway has been suspended following the mishap. Around 500 vehicles were halted between Gangotri and Harshil. Efforts are on to remove the boulders from the highway. Traffic movement will be restored only after the stretch is declared completely safe.
Police said a Bolero, a bike, a Maruti 800, a truck, a JCB machine and a water tanker were damaged in the accident. District Magistrate Dr. Meherban Singh Bisht directed the relief and rescue teams to reach the spot immediately.
Teams from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Quick Response Team (QRT) and police are at the site to conduct the rescue operations.
SDRF inspector in-charge Jagdamba Prasad Bijalwan said that one body has been recovered from the debris. Boulders and stones are still falling down on the highway intermittently, he said adding that the falling boulders seem to be a result of forest fire that has spread across Dabrani, setting loose the boulders.
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