1 dead, 8 hurt in Uttarkashi as stones hit vehicle on Gangotri highway, Border Roads worker missing

According to officials, the boulders rolled down the hill at Dabrani in Uttarkashi due to forest fire and the breaking of high tension electricity lines.

The incident happened near Darbani in Uttarakhand. (Video screengrab/ Uttarakhand Cops/ X)

A day after one person died and eight others were injured after boulders from a hill hit their vehicle on Gangotri National Highway, in Uttarkashi, officials said on Saturday that a woman worker of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is also reported missing.

In a statement, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said that search is on for the BRO worker, who has gone missing since Friday.

According to officials, the boulders rolled down the hill near Dabrani due to forest fire and the breaking of high tension electricity lines. Police said as the stones are still falling intermittently, the traffic is being halted at safe places on both sides of the highway.

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Meanwhile, the deceased has been identified as Akhil Singh, 18, an Uttarkashi resident. The body was handed over to the district police, the SDRF officials said.

A truck of BRO engaged in wall construction on the lower side of the road, a JCB machine and a water tanker, along with a private Bolero vehicle, a bike and a car were damaged due to the ‘shooting stones’.

गंगोत्री राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग पर डबरानी के पास पहाड़ी से पत्थर गिरने व कुछ लोगों के दबे होने की सूचना पर पुलिस, SDRF, NDRF की टीमें मौके पर मौजूद हैं, रेक्स्यू कार्य जारी है।

सुरक्षा के दृष्टिगत वाहनों को रोका गया है। मार्ग पूर्णतः सुरक्षित होने के उपरांत वाहनों को छोड़ा जायेगा। pic.twitter.com/o5qniQ0xHf

— Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) May 31, 2024

The Uttarakhand government sources said the six injured people have been taken out from the spot to a primary health centre in Harshil, while the remaining two were brought to the district hospital in Uttarkashi.

“At the spot, about 200 to 250 meters of road was blocked due to boulder. A Bolero got hit by the falling stone and had 3 women and 2 men inside. They were rescued by the SDRF team in coordination with local police and other rescue units and sent to Harshil Hospital in injured condition,” the SDRF said.

As soon as the incident was reported, District Magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht had alerted the rescue teams and the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Foece (NDRF), Revenue Department and Disaster Management teams from the district headquarters reached the spot and conducted the rescue operation .

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Ambulance and medical teams were sent to the spot from the district headquarters as well as Bhatwadi and Harshil.

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