Four people were killed and seven others were injured as a result of boulders rolling down the hills during intense rainfall, crushing three vehicles.
The event took place on Monday, July 10, in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India and involved a group of pilgrims from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The pilgrims had just completed their journey to Gangotri in Uttarakhand and were on their way home. The convoy, consisting of around 30 passengers distributed amongst three vehicles, was traveling along a road close to the hill. Huge boulders, dislodged by the intensity of the rain, crashed down the hillside, colliding with the vehicles with a dreadful force.
In the wake of the rockslide, a chilling spectacle was visible. The vehicles were reduced to wreckage, with one side of a small bus completely shattered by the force of the rocks. The other two vehicles did not escape unscathed either, suffering significant damage.
A woman was among the fatalities, and one person among the injured was reported to be in critical condition.
Uttarakhand, now a part of the growing tally of northern Indian states experiencing the devastating effects of the monsoon season, has seen heavy rains provoke multiple landslides and the ruin of several bridges across hilly terrains.
The escalating weather conditions have pushed authorities to declare schools in Dehradun, the state capital, closed until there’s a let-up in the situation. While Uttarakhand battles its calamities, the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh has seen the death toll from rain-related incidents rise to 30. The unsettling footage of bridges getting swept away and vehicles being swallowed by the deluge act as brutal reminders of the rain’s devastating potential in these regions.
