The death toll in the bus accident near Nalupani in the district has mounted to 24 after three more bodies were recovered on Wednesday from the mangled remains of the vehicle which fell into the Bhagirathi river.
Twenty bodies were recovered from the spot late on Tuesday night while an injured person succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Three more bodies were recovered on Wednesday taking the toll to 24, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Shrivastava said.
Six persons who had sustained injuries have been referred to a higher centre, he said. Rescue efforts were still on, in case there were more bodies trapped in the vehicle which was badly damaged after falling about 300 metres down the road into the Bhagirathi, the official said.
The bus carrying pilgrims from Gangotri fell into the Bhagirathi river, while it was on its way to Haridwar. The bus was scheduled to go to Kedarnath from Haridwar.
The pilgrims were from Madhya Pradesh. The bodies were handed over to the kin of the deceased, the DM said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced a compensation of ₹1 lakh to the next of kin of deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured.
