14 killed as bus rolls down gorge in Uttarakhand

HIGHLIGHTS

• The private-run bus was on its way to Vikas Nagar from Jankichatti in the Uttarkashi district
• A search-and-rescue operation by police with help from area residents is under way
• Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed grief at the loss of lives

UTTARKASHI: At least 14 people were killed and 13 injured when the bus in which they were travelling fell into a 150-metre-deep gorge in 

Uttarkashi district

 on Sunday.

The private-run bus was on its way to Vikas Nagar from Jankichatti in the district when it fell into the gorge near Damta, District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said

A search-and-rescue operation by police with help from area residents is underway, the official said, adding a few bodies could be stuck in bushes.

Four people seriously injured in the accident were flown in a chopper to Dehradun for treatment, he said.

The bus, after plunging into the gorge, landed a few metres from the Yamuna river, the official said

Uttarakhand

 chief minister 

Trivendra Singh Rawat

 expressed grief at the loss of lives and asked the district administration to arrange for the treatment of the injured.