In a major incident, a bus carrying Char Dham yatris fell into a gorge near Damta Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand leaving at least 22 people dead.

According to reports, the bus was carrying at least 32 pilgrims from the Panna district in Madhya Pradesh and left Haridwar at 10:00 AM on Sunday.

The death toll is expected to rise, authorities informed. The accident took place on the Yamunotri National Highway between Damta and Bernigad.

The injured persons are being rescued and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team is at the spot. District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela has directed doctors and ambulances to be sent to the spot.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin who died in the accident and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister’s office wrote, “The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident in Uttarakhand. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000 each.”