3 women dead, 6 injured after SUV carrying pilgrims fell in gorge in Uttarakhand's Nainital

Dehradun, Dec 18 (PTI) Three women were dead and six others injured after an SUV carrying pilgrims fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand's Nainital district on Thursday, the State Disaster Response Force said.

All three women who lost their lives in the accident were from Uttar Pradesh, the SDRF said.

According to the agency, the accident occurred near Bhowali on the Bhowali-Almora National Highway when the pilgrims were travelling in an SUV (Scorpio) from Bareilly to Kainchidham Ashram.

Upon receiving information about the accident at around 9:45 am, police and SDRF teams reached the spot and launched a rescue and relief operation with the help of local people, an official said.

The three women who died in the accident were -- Ganga Devi, 56, Brijesh Kumari, 26, and Nainasti Gangwar, 24 -- all residents of Bareilly, the SDRF said.

The injuries were sustained by Brijesh Kumari's husband, Rahul Patel, 35, their seven-year-old son Rishi Patel, and Ganga Devi's daughter Swati, 20, the SDRF said.

Besides them, Akshay Singh, 20, Jyoti, 25, and Karan, 25, were also injured in the accident, the agency said. MNK SHS SHS