Six pilgrims going to the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand were killed on Tuesday morning after a boulder hit the bus they were travelling in. The mishap occurred in Chamoli district.
Eleven passengers were on the bus that was passing through landslide-prone Lambagad area, when boulders started falling during a landslide. Some of the boulders hit the bus, killing six people, while the rest sustained injuries.
A 20-year old pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh, Raju Kumar, was the first to be pulled out of the wreckage by rescuers. More bodies were pulled out later, but they had not been identified. According to reports, the number of victims ranges from 6 to 9 people.
Three people from Mumbai are among the injured. They are Shailendra Shukla, 40, from Vasai, Ravi Singh, 27, of Nallasopara and Suraj Mishra of Santacruz. All three are undergoing treatment.
The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway had been closed for traffic on Monday night after landslides at Lambagad. Traffic resumed after the rubble was cleared on Tuesday morning.
The India Meteorological Department had issued warnings of heavy to very heavy rain in some areas of the Chardham route to Badrinath for Tuesday and Wednesday.