Wednesday, 23 February 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Fourteen people returning from a wedding died after the Max jeep carrying wedding guests fell into a gorge in Champawat district. The guests were returning with the wedding party from the marriage ceremony in Tanakpur to Kaknai village but their vehicle fell into a gorge near Sukhidhang- Reetha Sahib route between Budam and Kaknai villages on Monday night.
The superintendent of police (SP) of the district Devendra Pincha told The Pioneer that the police received the information of the accident around 3 AM on Tuesday and the rescue operation was immediately started with the help of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) which ended at around 2 PM after retrieving 14 bodies and rescuing two injured persons. The injured sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the hospital for treatment.
He said that most of the rescue and relief operation could be done only after the sunrise as it was difficult to find bodies in the gorge in the dark. On the question of the timing and cause of the accident, the SP responded,”Some locals stated that the accident occurred between 9 PM and 10 PM while some stated that it took place between 10 PM and 12 AM but nothing can be said for sure. The cause of the accident is also uncertain but the teams have started looking into the matter. We will also look into available CCTV footage in order to figure out what actually happened.”
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences through Twitter on Tuesday. He tweeted, “The accident in Champawat, Uttarakhand is heart-wrenching. I express my condolences to the families of those who have died in this accident. Local administration is engaged in relief and rescue work.” The PM’s office also announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of 14 people who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 aid for the two injured.
The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and ex chief minister Harish Rawat also expressed their condolences on Twitter.
