DEHRADUN: The death toll in the bus accident in Rikhanikhal block of Pauri district of the state on Tuesday night has risen to 31, with 18 injured admitted to the hospital. A senior officer engaged in relief work at the spot from Rikhanikhal police station confirmed this.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, DGP Ashok Kumar said, "The relief operation is almost complete, but rescue teams are still searching the accident site as a precautionary measure".
Among the 31 of the marriage party killed in the accident, so far 29 bodies have been recovered. The deceased have been identified as Sandeep's elder brother Kuldeep, sister Tapeshwari Devi, 11-year-old nephew Sachin and 28 other relatives, including maternal uncle's family. These include 4 children and 6 women.
The groom, Sandeep Nath, works in a hotel in Faizabad and the entire family is extremely poor while brother Kuldeep worked as a paint dealer.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
Despite the improvement in the condition of roads, accidents are increasing. In the state, 1138 people have lost their lives in road accidents in 14 months. That is, more than 80 people are dying in accidents every day During this period, 1558 people were also injured in 1922 accidents. In the year 2021, 820 people have died in 1405 accidents. The cause of most of the
accidents is said to be over speed.
Accidents are happening not only in the hilly areas but also in the plains. In the year 2020, there have been a total of 1041 accidents in the state, in which 674 people have died. There have been 671 accidents due to high speed, in which 430 people have died. In the year 2021, there have been a total of 1405 accidents, in which 820 people have died.