Three Kanwar devotees were killed and 16 others sustained injuries in a road accident near Tachla in Tehri on Wednesday while they were on their way to Harsil for a community meal and collecting Ganga water.
Kanwar pilgrimage will commence on July 11.
The unfortunate accident occurred when a truck (bearing registration number UP 13 BT 8739), carrying 19 devotees, overturned on the road near Tachla ahead of Phakot in Tehri. The truck was en route to Harsil – Uttarakhand’s cleanest village – for a Kanwar Bhandara (community meal) when the mishap took place between Rishikesh and Chamba.
Three pilgrims died on the spot, while the remaining 16 sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the local hospital in Phakot for treatment.
All individuals in the truck are residents of Saniyon Ki Badi, Chaupal Mohalla, Kastwara, Bulandshahar, Sikandrabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The injured have been identified as Ishwar Saini (49), Atar Singh (60), Ravi (30, son of Atar Singh), Kuldeep Giri (35, son of Mukesh), Jagmohan (70), Banwari (55), Prem Singh (50), Jugnu (35), Tushar (17), Bhajan Lal (45), Lekhraj (40), Tinku (29), Mulchand (40), Rahul (28, son of Kinchit), and a 4-year-old boy, Nakul.
The deceased pilgrims have been identified as Vicky (30) and Sunil Saini (45), while the identity of the third victim is yet to be confirmed.
Expressing grief over the death of three Kanwar pilgrims in the accident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials and the district administration to ensure immediate medical assistance for the injured in Tehri district. He instructed them to take all necessary measures to prevent any further loss of life. Several critically injured devotees were also airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh.
The Tehri district administration informed that 10 injured Kanwar pilgrims were admitted to the nearby Narendra Nagar Hospital via 108 ambulance services after receiving first aid at the Phakot Primary Health Centre (PHC). A relief and rescue operation was launched immediately on a war footing, and the remaining trapped individuals were safely extricated from the overturned truck.
Although the Kanwar pilgrimage officially begins on July 11, the deceased pilgrims were part of a group that was heading to Harsil in Uttarkashi ahead of the yatra to participate in a community meal and collect Ganga water before the start of the pilgrimage season.