14 killed as bus falls into 150-metre deep gorge in Uttarakhand
Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand), Nov 18: Fourteen persons were killed and as many injured Sunday when the bus in which they were travelling fell into a 150-metre deep gorge in Uttarkashi district, an official said.
The private bus was on its way to Vikas Nagar from Jankichatti, near the Himalayan shrine of Yamunotri, when it fell into the gorge near Damta, District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said.
Twelve people died at the spot and two succumbed at a hospital, he said.
A search and rescue operation by police with the help of locals is underway, the official said, adding that some bodies could be stuck in the bushes.
Six people seriously injured in the accident were flown in a chopper to AIIMS, Rishikesh and Jolly Grant Hospital in Dehradun for treatment, Chauhan said.
Eight others were also brought to Dehradun, he added.
The bus, after plunging into the gorge, landed a few metres away from the Yamuna river, Chauhan said.
The number of fatalities could have been higher if the bus had fallen into the river, he said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident and asked the district administration to make all arrangements for the treatment of the injured.
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Karnataka: Mobile Passport Seva van to operate in Kodagu from Apr 8 to 10
Bengaluru (PTI): A Mobile Passport Seva van will operate in Madikeri town of Kodagu district from April 8 to 10, offering on-the-spot passport services to applicants.
The van will operate at Gandhi Bhavana in Madikeri town under an initiative launched by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take passport services to people in underserved areas by facilitating document verification and biometric data collection closer to their homes, the Regional Passport Office, Bengaluru, said in a statement.
Applicants may book appointments online at the Passport Seva portal under the normal scheme. After payment, they should select the 'mobile van' option while scheduling the appointment, it said.
