Bus carrying `Baratis` falls into gorge in Uttarakhand`s Pauri district, heavy casualties feared

Pauri bus accident: The bus was on its way to a village in Bironkhal from Laldhang when it met with the accident near the Simri bend. The accident occurred at around 7.30 pm. Rescue operations have been launched with the help of locals but the efforts of the rescuers are being hampered by darkness, said reports.

Pauri: Heavy casualties were feared as a bus carrying around 45-50 members of a marriage party fell into a gorge in the Bironkhal area of Uttarakhand's Pauri district on Tuesday evening, the disaster control room here said.

The bus was on its way to a village in Bironkhal from Laldhang when it met with the accident near the Simri bend, it said. The accident occurred at around 7.30 pm. Rescue operations have been launched with the help of locals but the efforts of the rescuers are being hampered by darkness, it said.

There is no arrangement of lights at the spot of the accident and villagers are struggling to rescue those stuck inside the bus with the help of the flashlights on their mobile phones, eyewitnesses said, adding that the number of casualties could be high.

Circle Officer Sadar Premlal Tamta, while confirming the incident, said that the police have left from Dhumakote police station and Rikhnikhal police station for the spot

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has also reached the State Disaster Management Center pertaining to the bus accident in Pauri Garhwal district. 

"State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been mobilised for the accident spot. We are trying our best to take all the facilities to the accident spot. Local villagers are helping in rescue operation," CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said.