Uttarakhand: 11 Pilgrims Trekking To Purnagiri Temple killed by a Speeding Truck!

Uttarakhand, May 18: In an unfortunate incident reported early morning today, eleven pilgrims were killed and several other were left injured after a speeding truck ran over them  in Uttarakhand's Champawat district. The incident occurred when the pilgrims were trekking to the Purnagiri Temple in Tanakpur. Out of the eleven deceased people, four are said to be children, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

According to reports, all the devotees are from Bareilly of Uttar Pradesh and were going to the hilltop temple barefoot as a gesture of gratitude to the deity, who had fulfilled their wishes. Army personnel from the nearby military station in Banbasa, along with police and the residents rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation when they came to know about the incident.

"The group had reached the vicinity of the commercial tax office on NH-125 around 4.30 am when a speeding dumper lost control and mowed through them. Around 20 pilgrims are injured in the incident," Tanakpur circle officer RS Rautela told the Hindustan Times. While the Champawat superintendent of police Dhirendra Gunjiyal said that nine of the pilgrims died on the spot, while two others died later when they were undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.

The seriously injured people have been admitted to Khatima Hospital while the rest of the injured devotees are being treated at Tanakpur Hospital. Meanwhile, the police are on the lookout for the driver, who fled from the spot after the accident.

Puranagiri is considered as one of the famous holy places in India. The temple, which is one of the most visited ones in Uttarakhand sees a footfall of over 22 lakh daily. To reach the temple, the devotees have to walk for three kilometres.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2018 06:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).