8 killed as landslide hits car, motorcyclists

By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Rudraprayag, 20 Oct: Eight persons were killed in a mishap that took place at Chandidhar on the Kedarnath Road late last night. According to the report, three persons on two motorcycles were going to the Kedarnath Shrine, while five persons in a car were travelling from Sitapur to Mekhanda. Suddenly, there was a landslide on the hill above the road, which hit the car and the motorcycles with lethal effect. The car plunged down the hillside, while the motorcyclists were buried in the debris.
The three motorcyclists were declared dead by doctors when taken to the Fata Health Centre. The car passengers could not be immediately rescued because of the late hours. The search was resumed by teams of the SDRF and Police at first light and, after seven hours of hard labour, the bodies were recovered. Chief Minister TS Rawat has announced assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the dependants of each of the deceased from his relief fund.
District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal inspected the site of the incident and ordered an inquiry into the causes.