Compensation for Uttarakhand accident victims

CHANDIGARH - Compensation of Rs.200,000 will be given to the kin of each of the 23 Hindu pilgrims who died in a road accident in Uttarakhand, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced Monday.

He also expressed grief over the death of the ‘Kanwarias’ (Shiv devotees), residents of Baghanki and Khedki villages in Haryana’s Gurgaon district.

The pilgrims were killed Sunday when the truck ferrying them fell into a 150 metre deep gorge at Dabrani in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district.

“We are in touch with the administration of Uttarkashi to bring home the bodies of the deceased,” a state government spokesperson said.

The truck was on its way to Gangotri. The accident took place on the Rishikesh-Gangotri national highway, about 70 km from Dehradun.

“We have made all arrangements to transport the bodies to their respective houses,” he added.