DEHRADUN, May 31: One pilgrim was killed and eight others were injured today after being hit by boulders falling from the hillside on Gangotri national highway, officials said.
Six of the injured were taken to the Primary Health Centre, Harshil, while the two others injured were admitted to District Hospital, Uttarkashi, they said.
The deceased has not yet been identified, the officials said.
The police, SDRF, NDRF personnel and the Quick Response Team of the Disaster Management department reached the spot and began the relief and rescue operations.
A truck of the Border Roads Organisation engaged in wall construction on the lower side of the road, the officials said.
A JCB machine, a water tanker, a private Bolero vehicle, a Maruti 800 car and a bike have also been damaged by the falling boulders, they said.
Boulders are still falling from the hills in the area intermittently due to which the vehicles have been asked to move slowly and carefully on both sides of the national highway.
Eight members of two families are among those injured in the accident.
One family was from Kalsi in Dehradun district whose members have been identified as Subhash Voniyal (40), his wife Bina (38) and their sons Divyanshu (18) and Himanshu (16).
The members of the other family from Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar injured in the accident have been identified as Nitesh (40), his wife Meera (35) and their daughters Vishakha (25) and Radha (16). (PTI)
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