13 killed as vehicle falls into gorge in U'khand

Thirteen persons were killed and two others injured Monday when a tempo traveller fell into a 200-metre deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district following landslide.

The incident occurred at Shanglai, about 8 km beyond Bhatwari in the district on the Rishikesh-Gangotri highway, when the tempo traveller, carrying 15 passengers, was returning from Gangotri, District Disaster Management officer Devendra Patwal said.

The vehicle fell into the gorge as the driver lost control over it following landslide which brought a heap of debris on the road, he said.

The tempo landed just a few yards of the Bhagirathi river, which flows near the spot.

All the 13 bodies, including three of women, have been recovered, the official said.

Two girls, aged 13 and 15 years, who were injured in the incident, have been referred from a district hospital Uttarkashi to a hospital in Dehradun, he said.

They were brought in an ambulance to Dehradun as they could not be flown in a chopper due to bad weather, he said, adding that all the victims were locals.