14 die as tourist vehicle falls into Uttarakhand river

In one of the worst accidents this summer in Uttarakhand, 14 people died and 12 others were injured when a vehicle in which they were travelling from Delhi-NCR fell into a 200m gorge near the Alaknanda river in Raitoli area of Rudraprayag district on Saturday. Officials said 10 persons died on the spot while two others, out of the nine who were admitted to Rudraprayag district hospital, succumbed to injuries.Two other unidentified persons who were airlifted to AIIMS died on the way to the hospital.
Officials said 10 persons died on the spot while two others, out of the nine who were admitted to Rudraprayag district hospital, succumbed to injuries. The 20-seater tempo traveller registered in Haryana had left Delhi around 11pm on Friday
Tourists were on their way to Chopta-Tungnath-Chandrashikla circuit. When the vehicle was stopped by authorities for routine check of Char Dham pilgrims, the driver confirmed the vehicle was not being used for the annual pilgrimage and was brought to Uttarakhand for ‘tourism purposes’. He did not have trip card (required for Char Dham yatra) and after checking all documents of the vehicle, he was permitted to proceed.
Around 11.30am, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it broke the side parapet of Rishikesh-Badrinath road at Raitoli and plunged below. While the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, authorities have not ruled out the possibility of the driver falling asleep while at the wheel. SDRF commandant Manikant Mishra told TOI: “There were 26 people inside the vehicle. We could bring all of them out of the gorge after an operation lasting over two hours.”
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a magisterial probe. Dhami visited AIIMS-Rishikesh to meet the injured and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to next of kin of those deadUnion minister Amit Shah also expressed grief.