Bus carrying 25 Badrinath pilgrims overturns near Rishikesh, 7 injured

The passengers were returning from Badrinath when the accident occurred. Representational Pic/File

At least seven pilgrims sustained injuries after a bus carrying 25 passengers overturned on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway near Shivpuri in Uttarakhand's Tehri district on Sunday, officials said, reported the PTI.

The passengers were returning from Badrinath when the accident occurred. The vehicle was travelling towards Rishikesh when it met with the accident near the Kalthri dumping point, police said.

According to police, the bus was carrying 25 passengers along with the driver Rajesh and conductor Sonu, both residents of Dehradun.

Driver's window allegedly opened

Police said the driver's window suddenly opened while the bus was in motion. In an attempt to close it, the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and overturn, as per the PTI.

All the injured passengers, residents of Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, were taken to Rishikesh District Hospital for treatment. Their condition is reported to be stable.

The injured have been identified as Sonam Gupta (28), Munni Devi (56), Chandra Prakash Gupta (62), Sanjay Chaurasia (59), Sita Devi (38), Kumari Shabnam (32), and Manish Giri (44), according to the PTI.

Other passengers safe, sent home

The remaining 18 passengers were unharmed. They were later sent to Lakhimpur Kheri using alternative transport arrangements, the PTI reported.

Official killed after speeding truck hits him during morning walk

Meanwhile, in an another incident, a government official died after being hit by a speeding pickup truck while out on a morning walk in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on Saturday, police said, the news agency reported.

The accident took place at around 5.50 am near the Mata Temple in the Chinyalisaur area.

The victim, identified as Mamraj (31), was walking along the road when a loaded pickup truck struck him.

Mamraj, a resident of Tipri Bisht in Chinyalisaur, died on the spot due to the impact of the crash. He was serving as an Assistant Industries Officer in Kandisaur in Tehri Garhwal district.

Police said the driver of the pickup truck, identified as Rohit, also suffered injuries in the accident. He has been arrested.
According to preliminary investigations, the driver is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, which may have caused the accident. Further investigation is underway.

(with PTI inputs)