Boulder Strike on Gangotri Highway Claims Life, Woman Missing

In a tragic incident on Friday, a man lost his life and a woman labourer is missing after being struck by boulders that fell from the hillside onto the Gangotri national highway. The accident, which occurred at 12.20 pm, also left twelve individuals injured, including four labourers working for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The injured parties were promptly taken to the primary healthcare centre in Harshil and the district hospital in Uttarkashi for treatment.

Among the injured, two were critically hurt and had to be airlifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh for advanced medical care. The deceased was identified as 18-year-old Akhil Singh from Sainj village in the Bhatwari area of the district. The search is ongoing for Kamla Devi, the missing woman labourer.

Following the incident, emergency response teams comprising police, SDRF, NDRF personnel, and the Quick Response Team of the Disaster Management department were dispatched to the site for relief and rescue operations. A BRO truck involved in wall construction along the lower side of the road sustained damage due to the falling boulders.

Additionally, a JCB machine, a water tanker, a private Bolero vehicle, a Maruti 800 car, and a bike were reported damaged. Authorities have noted that boulders continue to fall intermittently from the hills in the area, prompting advisories for people to move their vehicles from both sides of the national highway to safer locations.

The list of injured includes four labourers and seven members belonging to two families, along with another individual. One family affected hails from Kalsi in Dehradun district, consisting of Subhash Voniyal (40), his wife Bina (38), and their sons Divyanshu (18) and Himanshu (16). The other family, from Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, includes Meera (35) and her daughters Vishakha and Radha. Another injured individual was identified as Roshan Singh (18).

This unfortunate event has brought to light the dangers posed by natural disasters in hilly regions and underscores the importance of timely emergency response and infrastructure resilience. The local authorities are continuing their efforts in rescue operations and are monitoring the situation closely to prevent further incidents.