Rudraprayag: A tragic accident occurred near Gaurikund where a vehicle carrying pilgrims plunged into a gorge on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, one person lost their life, and 13 others were injured. The injured were rescued by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other emergency teams and some of the seriously injured were airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment.
As per the available information, these pilgrims were heading towards Gaurikund for Kedarnath pilgrimage and this group had pilgrims from various states like Delhi, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. They had boarded the shuttle from Sonprayag to reach Gaurikund.
Shuttle service to reach Gaurikund from Sonprayag
Since the trekking for Kedarnath pilgrimage starts from Gaurikund and pilgrim’s vehicles are parked near Sonprayag, usually pilgrims take shuttle cab service to reach Gaurikund which is around 7 km away from Sonprayag parking area.
Vehicle slipped into gorge after parking it in Gaurikund
According to the pilgrims, the driver parked their vehicle on an inclined place and got down to place a stone behind the rear wheels. Suddenly, this vehicle reversed and fell into a gorge.
SDRF conducted a joint rescue operation
The SDRF team conducted a joint rescue operation along with the district police and rescued 12 adults and one child. However, one person was killed, and several others sustained injuries. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 13 pilgrims and recovered the body of the deceased.
SDRF commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said they received information from Sonprayag police station that a vehicle had fallen into a gorge near Gaurikund. “A SDRF rescue team led by Inspector Karna Singh immediately left for the spot. The vehicle was taking pilgrims from various states to the Kedarnath Dham,” he said. “One person was reported missing initially. Later in the day, the body of the pilgrim was recovered from the river downstream near Munkatiya,” he added.
Injured pilgrims were taken to AIIMS Rishikesh
Later, the seriously injured people were airlifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh for further treatment while others were referred to Rudraprayag district hospital.
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