Tehri: Six people died in an accident in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal district on Wednesday, after an SUV full of tourists fell into a gorge in Kandisaur sub-district on the Gangotri Highway. According to the police, the mishap took place around 3:30 pm. The incident took place on the NH94 near Chamba Dharasu motorway.
As per information, all six bodies have been charred due to the incident. Speaking to ETV Bharat, locals said that the vehicle was travelling towards Uttarkashi from Chamba when it lost control, breaking the railing and catching fire as soon as it touched the ground below. Locals further noted that despite their best efforts, the tourists had all died by the time they had doused the fire. It has been learned that all five tourists were from West Bengal, while the driver was a local resident.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, Tehsildar Kishan Singh Mahant said that the deceased included five men and one woman. The tourists have been identified as Pradeep Das (47), Madan Mohan Bhunia (61), Jhumur Bhunia (59), Nilesh Bhunia (23), and Debmalya Debnath (43). While two of the tourists were from North 24 Parganas, three were from Kolkata. The mortal remains of the driver, Ashish Das (35) of Uttarkashi district, was also recovered from the site.
Later in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tweeted out, offering his condolences. "Received the sad news of the death of 6 people of West Bengal in a vehicle accident on NH94 Chamba-Dharasu road. As soon as the information about this accident is received, the district administration has been directed for speedy relief and rescue work. May God grant all the departed souls a place at his feet and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this loss" he said.
