India
Four Killed, Two Missing After Gujarat Pilgrims’ Taxi Falls Into Uttarkashi River
A taxi carrying pilgrims from Gujarat plunged into the Bhagirathi river near Gangnani on the Gangotri national highway in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, on Thursday morning. Four people, including the driver, were killed and one was seriously injured. The deceased were Patel Ashokaben (49), Rutika Ashokabhai Patel (19) and Ghanshyambhai Sarvalia, all residents of Surat, Gujarat, and the driver Surendra Singh, a resident of Haridwar. The injured passenger, Patel Vedant Ashokbhai (17), a Surat resident, was airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh for treatment. Two passengers, Patel Sudaben Ashokbhai (45) from Surat and Patel Kiranben Vishalbhai (34) from Surendra Nagar, Gujarat, remain missing. Uttarkashi district magistrate Prashant Arya said emergency teams, including the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, local police and 108 ambulance services, arrived at the scene around 7 a.m. and recovered four bodies from the riverbank. The seriously injured person was flown to AIIMS Rishikesh by helicopter. Jal Police and specialised divers are continuing to search for the missing passengers in the river’s strong currents. Uttarakhand records more than 1,000 road accidents each year, with its narrow, winding mountain roads posing significant hazards, especially during monsoon and winter seasons. In February last year, the state cabinet approved a road safety policy aimed at reducing accidents by 50% by 2030, focusing on infrastructure improvement, traffic enforcement, public awareness, emergency medical care and road safety research.