Five women pilgrims were killed today when a boulder rolled down a hill and fell on the bus in which they were travelling.
The incident occurred at Lohali near Kakarighat in this district when the bus, which was returning to Kotdwar from Bageshwar, was hit by the boulder, SSP, Nainital, Janmejay Khanduri said.
The deceased were pilgrims on their way back to Kotdwar after visiting the Bageshwar temple, he said.
Seventeen persons were rescued from the spot and three, who were injured, have been admitted to Haldwani's Sushila Tiwari hospital and the Community Health Centre in Garampani, the SSP said.
Khanduri, who supervised the rescue operations, said that due to the ongoing work to expand the road network in the area combined with the seasonal rains, such a tragedy had taken place.
The ongoing construction in the hilly area on the Nainital-Almora National Highway may also be a factor that led to the incident, he said.
Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured.
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