Dainik Nation News Portal
DAINIK NATION BUREAU/RUDRAPRAYAG
Two dead and four injured on Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway after a passenger vehicle hit by falling boulders near Kakragad on Friday evening. It occurred around 5:45 PM when a vehicle ferrying pilgrims from Gangotri Dham to Kedarnath was suddenly hit by giant stones rolling down the hillside. The vehicle damaged severely \with its front portion, roof, and rear tyre crushed under the weight of the rocks.
Driver Rajesh Rawat, a resident of Lambgaon in New Tehri district, died on the spot after a boulder struck him directly on the head. Among the passengers, a young man, Shailesh Kumar, son of Mohan Lal from Chhattisgarh, also succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Four other passengers, all residents of Durg district in Chhattisgarh, sustained injuries in the accident. They were identified as Laxman, son of Dhaniram, Omkar Singh Rajput, son of Birendra Singh, Dipesh Yadav , son of Govind Yadav and Chitransh Sahu (24), son of Omkar Sahu.
Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) quickly reached the spot and taken the injured to the nearby Community Health Centre for medical treatment. According to Ukhimath police station in-charge, Inspector Rajiv Chauhan, the victims had hired the vehicle for pilgrimage when the tragedy struck.
The accident has once again raised concerns over the safety of travelers on the hilly and landslide-prone stretches of Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage routes, especially during the monsoon-affected season. Meanwhile district authorities have urged pilgrims to remain cautious and have also assured that road monitoring in vulnerable zones will be intensified.
