Death count rises to 26 in Uttarkashi bus accident, rescue operation concludes

On Monday that a total of 26 people were confirmed dead after a bus carrying pilgrims from Panna district in Madhya Pradesh crashed into a canyon near Damta in Uttarkashi district on June 5.

The pilgrims were on their way to Yamunotri, which is part of the Char Dham, which also usually involves the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri.

Official informed that the search and rescue operation have been concluded on Monday.

"The accident took the lives of 26 persons and injured four others. The injured have been transported to the Higher Center for treatment "According to the official, The bus, which was carrying 30 people, including 28 pilgrims, was on its way to Uttarkashi's Yamunotri Dham when it crashed into a gorge. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, as well as district administration personnel, went to the scene to conduct rescue and relief operations.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister expressed his grief over the loss of life and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF to the families of those who died in the accident, as well as of Rs 50,000 each to those who were injured. Governor Lt General Gurmeet Singh (Seni) expressed his grief over the deaths in the tragedy and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, expressed his grief over the deaths in the disaster and spoke with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, arrived in Dehradun to assess the relief efforts. He also met with officials to discuss the situation. The chief minister declared an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each family of those killed in the bus accident and Rs 50,000 to each injured person.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his grief over the tragedy and went to the Secretariat's disaster control room to assess the relief and rescue efforts.

In addition, the chief minister has ordered a magisterial investigation into the incident.