Death toll rises to 26, rescue ops conclude

Uttarkashi: The death toll in the Uttarkashi bus accident rose to 26 with the recovery of one more body after which the search and rescue operation was concluded, officials said on Monday.

A bus carrying pilgrims from Panna district in Madhya Pradesh fell into a deep gorge near Rikhavu khadd en route to the Yamunotri temple in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Sunday. Besides the driver and the helper, there were 28 passengers on board.

Four injured people are under treatment while the death toll has risen to 26 with the recovery of one more body late in the night, Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal said.

Pulling out the bodies and looking for survivors in the night was a challenge for the police and State Disaster Response Force personnel, officials in Uttarkashi said.

A magisterial probe has been announced by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami a day after a bus accident.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his Uttarakhand counterpart on Monday morning visited the site. Both the leaders also met the families of those who have died.

"The bus driver told us that accident happened due to steering wheel failure... But still we have ordered a magisterial-level probe into the incident," Dhami was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

In a series of posts, the Madhya Pradesh CM tweeted in Hindi: "Visited the site of last night's heart-rending bus accident in Damta, Uttarkashi, along with Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri @pushkardhami ji. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family members and speedy recovery of the injured." With agency inputs